Be True to Thyself: Why an Honest Life Speaks Louder Than Words
What if the most convincing truth you could offer the world wasn’t spoken—but lived?
Be True to Thyself
Horatius Bonar
Thou must be true thyself
If thou the truth wouldst teach;
Thy soul must overflow if thou
Another’s soul wouldst reach.
It needs the overflow of heart
To give the lips full speech.
Think truly, and thy thoughts
Shall the world’s famine feed;
Speak truly, and each word of thine
Shall be a fruitful seed;
Live truly, and thy life shall be
A great and noble creed.
Reflection
Horatius Bonar reminds us that truth is not something we merely declare; it is something we embody. Integrity flows outward. When our thoughts are honest, they nourish others. When our words are sincere, they plant seeds of meaning. When our lives align with our values, we become living creeds—silent sermons that speak louder than argument. This poem challenges us to examine the congruence between what we believe, what we say, and how we live. Authenticity is not perfection; it is alignment. The deeper our inner truth runs, the more powerfully it reaches others. In a noisy world, a true life still speaks.
As you read this poem, ask yourself:
Where in my life am I being invited to live more fully aligned with what I believe to be true?