A Message to Garcia / Being a Preachment

E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, S. R. Ellison, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/)
Copyright 1914 by Elbert Hubbard
If you work for a man, in Heaven's name work for him. If he pays wages that supply you your bread and butter, work for him, speak well of him, think well of him, and stand by him, and stand by the institution he represents. I think if I worked for a man, I would work for him. I would not work for him a part of his time, but all of his time. I would give an undivided service or none. If put to the pinch, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness. If you must vilify, condemn, and eternally disparage, why, resign your position, and when you are outside, damn to your heart's content. But, I pray you, so long as you are a part of an institution, do not condemn it. Not that you will injure the institution—not that—but when you disparage the concern of which you are a part, you disparage yourself. And don't forget—“I forgot” won't do in business.
The supreme prayer of my heart is not to be learned or “good,” but to be Radiant.
I desire to radiate health, cheerfulness, sincerity, calm courage and good-will.
I wish to be simple, honest, natural, frank, clean in mind and clean in body, unaffected—ready to say, “I do not know,” if so it be, to meet all men on an absolute equality—to face any obstacle and meet every difficulty unafraid and unabashed.
I wish others to live their lives, too, up to their highest, fullest and best. To that end I pray that I may never meddle, dictate, interfere, give advice that is not wanted, nor assist when my services are not needed. If I can help people I'll do it by giving them a chance to help themselves; and if I can uplift or inspire, let it be by example, inference and suggestion, rather than by injunction and dictation. That is to say, I desire to be Radiant—to Radiate Life.