To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To give of one’s self; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—This is to have succeeded.
This poem is by Ralph Waldo Emerson, a revered American poet and philosopher. It gained renewed attention when a prominent Korean entrepreneur, pledging to donate more than half of his fortune, shared it as a guiding inspiration.
Success is often measured by status, but what is its worth if joy is confined to oneself? True fulfillment lies in finding happiness through caring for others and acting on that sentiment. Perhaps only then does success reveal its truest and most noble form.
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