Og Mandino- The Scroll Marked VII

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I will laugh at the world.

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No living creature can laugh ...
except for man.

Trees may bleed when they are wounded,

and beasts in the field may cry in pain and hunger ...

yet I have the gift of laughter,

and it is mine to use whenever I choose.

Henceforth I will cultivate the habit of laughter.

I will smile and my digestion will improve;

I will chuckle and my burdens will be lightened;

I will laugh and my life will be lengthened ...

for this is the secret of long life, and now it is mine.

I will laugh at the world.

And, most of all, I will laugh at myself ...

for man is most comical when he
takes himself too seriously.

Never will I fall into this trap of the mind.

For though I be nature’s greatest miracle

am I not still a mere grain
tossed by the winds of time?

Do I truly know whence I came
or whither I am bound?

Will my concern for today
not seem foolish ten years hence?

Why should I permit the petty happenings of today
to disturb me?

What can take place before this sun sets 

which will not seem insignificant
in the river of centuries?

I will laugh at the world.

And how can I laugh when confronted

with man, or deed, which offends me

so as to bring forth my tears and curses?

Four words I will train myself to say

until they become a habit so strong

that immediately they will appear in my mind

whenever good humor threatens to depart from me.

These words, passed down from the ancients,
will carry me through every adversity
and maintain my life in balance.

These are the four words: 
“This too shall pass.”

I will laugh at the world.

For all worldly things shall, indeed, pass.

When I am heavy with heartache
I shall console myself that this, too, shall pass.

When I am puffed with success

I shall warn myself that this, too, shall pass.

When I am strangled in poverty
I shall tell myself that this, too, shall pass.

When I am burdened with wealth
I shall tell myself that this, too, shall pass.

Yea, verily, where is he who built the pyramids?

Is he not buried under sand?

And will the pyramid, one day, not also
be buried under sand?

If all things shall pass
why should I be of concern for today?

I will laugh at the world.

I will paint this day with laughter.

I will frame this night in song.

Never will I labor to be happy ...

rather will I remain too busy to be sad.

I will enjoy today’s happiness today.

It is not grain to be stored in a box.

It is not wine to be saved in a jar.

It cannot be saved for the morrow.

It must be sown and reaped on the same day

and this I will do, henceforth.

I will laugh at the world.

And with my laughter all things will be
reduced to their proper size.

I will laugh at my failures
and they will vanish in the clouds of my new dreams.

I will laugh at my success
and they will shrink to their true value.

I will laugh at evil
and it will die un-tasted.

I will laugh at goodness
and it will thrive and abound.

Each day will be triumphant
only when my smiles bring forth smiles from others ...
and this I do in selfishness, for those upon whom
I frown are those who purchase not my goods.

I will laugh at the world.

Henceforth will I shed only tears of sweat ...

for those of sadness or remorse or frustration

are of no value in the marketplace
whilst each smile can be exchanged for gold
and any kind word,
spoken from the heart,
can build a castle.

Never will I allow myself to become so important,
so wise, so dignified, so powerful,

that I forget how to laugh at myself and my world.

In this matter I will always remain as a child ...

for only as a child
am I given the ability to look up to others.

And so long as I look up to another
I will never grow too long for my cot.

I will laugh at the world.

And as long as I can I laugh
never will I be poor.

This, then, is one of natures’ greatest gifts,
and I will waste it no more.

Only with laughter and happiness
can I truly become a success.

Only with laughter and happiness
can I enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Were it not so, far better would it be to fail ...

for happiness is the wine
that sharpens the taste of the meal.

To enjoy success I must have happiness,
and laughter will be the maiden who serves me.

I will be happy.
I will be successful.

I will be the greatest salesman
the world has ever known.

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I will laugh at the world.

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