A poem on an antiques shop poster provided a lifelong reminder to ‘go placidly amid the noise’ | James Shackell

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I was in my early 20s when I first stumbled on Desiderata. It was a grey weekend in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges and I was idly rummaging through an antiques shop, the rain outside drifting in a steady haze. On the wall was a laminated poster with a slab of dense, calligraphic text, the first two words writ large in drop caps: Go placidly".

Curious, I wandered over. My eye was drawn to the end of the first sentence, then the next ... and then the next. Do you ever read something unexpected that chimes with your innermost thoughts? It's a tingly, corkscrew feeling, like you've accidentally plugged into the secret truth of the universe. The background hum of the store faded away. The poem began:

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.