The Silent Hills
In "A Prayer," the speaker reminisces about "the bright hours that found me walking over the silent hills of my childhood." Here, the silent hills symbolize the time he spent in nature during his childhood and his relationship with the natural world. This image also suggests the carefree quality of his childhood.
Kindness
Kindness is a key motif of Ehrmann's poetry. It is a trait he encourages a person to have both for others and for themselves. For example, in "Desiderata" he reassures the reader that they are a "child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars."
God
At first glance, Ehrmann's poetry seems to contain religious themes and motifs. He often writes about God and the consolation that religious devotion can offer in our lives.
However, in "Desiderata", Ehrmann actually explains that "God" is "whatever you conceive Him to be," meaning that he has a pretty flexible definition of what God means.
Peace
The ideas of peace and serenity are key motifs in Ehrmann's poetry. He suggests that a sense of inner peace leads to true contentment and that people should strive to avoid stress, chaos, and unnecessary "noise" in their lives. For example, consider this passage from "Desiderata":
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence."
A Beautiful World
In "Desiderata," Ehrmann states that although the world is full of "sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world." This idea of accepting the world's problems but still retaining an optimistic view is a motif in Ehrmann's poetry. For example, in "Whatever Else You Do," he writes that "however much you condemn the evil in the world, remember that the world is not all evil; that somewhere children are at play, as you yourself in the old days."
