To Have Succeeded

So apparently I'm in the mood of expressing my thoughts through other peoples' thoughts these days, but hey, if the shoe fits...see if the other one fits. Anyway, despite my lame attempt at humor, this poem kind of ties into "If", which I talked about in one of my recent posts. (Editor's note: I know that the comma is supposed to go inside of the quotation marks right there, but in my opinion, that's tarnishing the name of the work. The poem "If" does not have a comma in the title, which is my reason for placing it after the end quotation marks. I am also fully aware that less than 3% of anyone reading this would bring that point up, but hey - being different from 97% of the world is fun sometimes.)

To Have Succeeded

To laugh often and love 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 one's self;
To leave the world a little better,
Whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch,
Or 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.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This poem is really similar to "If" in the way that the "if you [do this]," then you can be successful in life and have a fulfilling life. But here, Emerson does it without the contrary side to each statement, which actually might make this poem seem a little less powerful than Rudyard Kipling's poem. In any case, the message here is pretty clear - this is another poem on how to live your life. And hopefully this gets you thinking about your own, as what much of this blog is intended to do. It might not impact me directly that you're thinking about your life, but it will impact you. And that should be good enough reason to give it a shot.