To laugh often and love much,
To win the respect of intelligent persons and affection of children,
To earn the approbation of honest citizens
and endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To give off one's self without the slightest thought of return,
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,a rescued soul,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition,
To have played and laughed with
enthusiasm and sung with exaltation,
To know that even one life has breathed easierbecause you have lived,
This is to have succeeded....

      - Ralph Waldo Emerson