Several sources attribute Desiderata to Max Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, who lived from 1872 to 1945.

• 许多资料认为“我们最需要的”是由美国印第安那州特勒荷特的诗人兼律师迈克斯.；艾尔曼（1827-1945）于1927年创作的。