The House by the Side of the Road by Sam Walter Foss

The House by the Side of the Road

Let me live in a house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by—
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.

I would not sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban;—
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
--Sam Walter Foss

Here's another poem quoted by President Hinckley. This one was in his talk, Forgiveness (2005). After reading the poem, he simply said, "That is the way I feel." In all the eulogies and memorials for our beloved Prophet, there is a constant thread -- President Hinckley, through his humble example, made others want to be better people. The world is a measurably better place because he lived in it. I can't think of a better definition of being a friend to man than that.

There are two other peoms that President Hinckley quoted that I wanted to post this week as part of my memorial to him. I've already posted them, however, so I'll just link to them here. One is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, which he quoted in his talk, Seek Ye the Kingdom of God (2006). The other is Invictus by William Ernest Henley, quoted in the First Presidency Christmas Devotional (2000). They're both great poems from great talks.