"...do GOOD."

"Go into the world and do well. But, more importantly, go into the world and do good." -Minor Myers Jr.

Everyone has a vision of success. Most of us have been creating these visions since before we can remember. These are ideas are enforced by our parents, our teachers, elders, even peers. Everyone tells us to work hard, do well in school, get As and we will be rewarded. The problem is that being successful by making a lot of money doesn't always reap the rewards we are taught it does. Reason being, "doing well" is not enough. We need to be taught to also "do good."

In my opinion--and hopefully yours by the end of my little spiel—this quotation could not be phrased more appropriately or meaningfully. That means a lot coming from someone who is very conscious of her “good” versus “well” usage. I just love this idiom for all it’s worth. What should be the most obvious reason as to why is its’ meaning. When Minor Myers stood up in front of his audience of graduates and recited these words, he was quite simply advising them to work hard, accomplish great things, be successful, BUT, at the end of the day, it is far more important-- and gratifying-- to have done your part in making the world a better place and to help others than to have made all the money in the world. He wasn't denying his graduates the "right," if you will, to make money or have a successful career; rather, he was simply encouraging them to resist from limiting themselves to that. This is such a simple, yet bold idea and it’s something that I feel very strongly about. I really do try to live by this; I try to not limit myself to studying or doing schoolwork. I make time to volunteer and do other things. Other things meaning things that I enjoy. I do other things that maybe don’t make the world a better place, but things that make me a happier person. I think being happy is giving back as well. To be honest, a grumpy person isn't going to be very apt to helping someone out.

Aside from the meaning, I love this quote for the way it is presented. The idea is presented with a pun-like phrase. The author played with the not-so-grammatical phrase “do good” to get across the meaning. It is almost like a clever turn of phrase as well because you wouldn’t normally--well, you as in anyone who is schooled enough to get anything out of this idiom anyway--say “do good.” This is exactly why I love the phrasing so much! I am very conscious of using “well” instead of “good” (when necessary) and I know many others are with me! I think the author uses this phrase so well and makes it stand out. He makes the reader jump back and take a second to really reflect upon what he is saying. The structure aids in pointing this out. There is obviously repetition because almost the entire phrase is repeated until the last word. This could also be considered substitution because “well” is simply replaced with “good.”

While the meaning of this phrase may be clichéd—it’s really nothing new to most people that giving back makes you a better person—the way it is stated is original. Most people choose to take an extreme position on this topic: happiness is money or happiness is giving back. Why can't it be both? I mean, we don't go to school for 16 or more years for nothing! So in the thoughts and words of Minor Myers Jr, do both. "Do well," "do good," and always, be happy.