This Is To Have Succeeded

“To laugh 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.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Written by Shirley Filed Under: Inspirational Life Quotes, Voluntary Simplicity