To laugh often and much:
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children:
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends:
To appreciate beauty,
to find the best in others
and to leave this world a bit better,
Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition:
To know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson





