To laugh often and much, to have 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 when one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
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