Mary Stuart's Prayer

Keep us, O God, from all pettiness;
let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with fault-finding
and leave off all self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and meet each other
face-to-face without self-pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgment
and always generous.
Let us take time for all things,
and make us to grow calm, serene, and gentle.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses,
straightforward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize that it is
the little things of life that create differences,
that in the big things of life, we are as one.
And, O Lord, God, let us not forget to be kind!

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, 1542-1587