F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote an extraordinary letter to his 11 year old daughter while she was at camp, giving her advice about things she SHOULD worry about and things she SHOULDN’T worry about. <\/p>\n
AUGUST 8, 1933
\nLA PAIX RODGERS’ FORGE
\nTOWSON, MATYLAND<\/p>\n
Dear Pie:<\/p>\n
I feel very strongly about you doing duty. Would you give me a little more documentation about your reading in French? I am glad you are happy– but I never believe much in happiness. I never believe in misery either. Those are things you see on the stage or the screen or the printed page, they never really happen to you in life.<\/p>\n
All I believe in in life is the rewards for virtue (according to your talents) and the punishments <\/i>for not fulfilling your duties, which are doubly costly. If there is such a volume in the camp library, will you ask Mrs. Tyson to let you look up a sonnet of Shakespeare’s in which the line occurs Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds…. <\/i><\/p>\n
I think of you, and always pleasantly, but I am going to take the White Cat out and beat his bottom hard, six times for every time you are impertinent<\/i>. Do you react <\/i>to that?…<\/p>\n
Half-wit, I will conclude. Things to worry about:<\/p>\n
Worry about courage
\nWorry about cleanliness
\nWorry about efficiency
\nWorry about horsemanship…
\nThings not to worry about:
\nDon’t worry about popular opinion
\nDon’t worry about dolls
\nDon’t worry about the past
\nDon’t worry about the future
\nDon’t worry about growing up
\nDon’t worry about anybody getting ahead of you
\nDon’t worry about triumph
\nDon’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own fault
\nDon’t worry about mosquitoes
\nDon’t worry about flies
\nDon’t worry about insects in general
\nDon’t worry about parents
\nDon’t worry about boys
\nDon’t worry about disappointments
\nDon’t worry about pleasures
\nDon’t worry about satisfactions
\nThings to think about:
\nWhat am I really aiming at?
\nHow good am I really in comparison to my contemporaries in regard to:
\n(a) Scholarship
\n(b) Do I really understand about people and am I able to get along with them?
\n(c) Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?<\/p>\n
With dearest love …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote an extraordinary letter to his 11 year old daughter while she was at camp, giving her advice about things she SHOULD worry about and things she SHOULDN’T worry about. AUGUST 8, 1933 LA PAIX RODGERS’ FORGE … Continue reading