A Prayer by General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)

Lord, build me a son who’ll be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who is proud and unbending in defeat, yet humble and gentle in victory. Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will first know You and then know himself, for that is the true foundation of all knowledge. Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. There let him learn to stand in the storm, yet have compassion for those who fall.

Build me a son whose heart is clear and whose goals are high; who’ll master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who’ll learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future, yet never forget the past. And after all these things are his, add I pray, enough of a sense of humour that, though serious, he may never take himself too seriously. And above all, Lord, give him enough humility to know that true greatness requires simplicity, true wisdom requires an open mind and true strength requires meekness. Only when this has been accomplished will I, his father, dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”