To laugh often and love much;
to win respect of intelligent persons
and the affections of children;
to earn the approbation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to give one's self;
to leave the world a little better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition.;
to have played and laughed with enthusiasm,
and sung with exultation;
to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived --
this is to have succeeded.
[a variation of 'Success' by Bessie A Stanley (1904)
often erroneously attributed to R W Emerson]
