8 december 2012

 

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 to endure the betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate 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 that even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson