This Is To Have Succeeded - 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 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 (1803-1882)