Poems & Prayers

by Matthew McConaughey

I pray as a means of staying involved in my life and the life of those I love and care for.

Prayer is paying attention. In a world that constantly consumes our thoughts but distracts us from tending to our spirit, prayer gives our soul a chance to catch up with our pathologically busy minds, providing us with the contentment of self-awareness that gives us enough hope to admit that we actually do have the ability to live our life. In times of chaos, prayer restores order, and regardless of the higher power you’re praying to, a committed belief in our continued improvement is how we first restore order in ourselves.

These days we have more things that supposedly allow us to be more productive in a shorter amount of time, but I feel like we’re racing against time more than ever before. That math doesn’t add up.

We don’t give enough credit to the positive side of consequences, to the desirable outcome, to the good result, to what they can give us.

The universe is designed to kill us, The world to rob our peace, Unattainable for pride and physics, Is a promise of belief.

Aspiring to be just a nice guy is like short-sheeting yourself; you’re a nice guy, but what do you stand for? The nice guy’s easy to be around, but he goes along with everything. A good man’s different. He has things he stands for. It’s harder to be a good man.

God, help me to trust myself enough to rely on others respect myself enough to honor others be generous enough with myself to serve others believe in myself enough to have faith in others love myself enough to care for others forgive myself enough to have compassion for others convict myself enough to judge others appreciate myself enough to thank others listen to myself enough to hear others know myself enough to learn from others miss myself enough to stay home be secure enough to leave and pray enough to know You Amen.

Sometimes we figure out what we should do by doing what we shouldn’t enough times to get sick of it. You know how it is. We kiss that fire and walk away whistling enough times we’re gonna eventually chap our lips and lose our tune. I suppose that’s part of the existential struggle—that we gotta go deep enough into the pain to recognize we can’t bear the existence. Far enough into the dark to come out the other side and see the light.

When everything’s significant there’s no significance at all,

Raise your head and your eyes will follow.

some people hear things, some people don’t. some people see things, some people won’t.

Stress and guilt are necessary. It means we give a damn. I could be jealous of people who sleep well through the night after whatever offense they’ve committed, but I’m not, because that would mean I don’t give a damn.

If you cannot stop the lies, become less gullible.

I believe the truth is only offensive when we’re lying.