ralph waldo emerson

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 apprecitate beauty,
to find the best in others,
to leave the 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 lived
This is to have succeeded."