Thursday, August 04, 2011

Gotta love Ralph Waldo

When I taught American Lit. to high school students, one of my favorite units to teach was the Transcendentalists, particularly Emerson and Thoreau. Henry David was such a rebel for his time and Waldon Pond always fascinated me. And Emerson was so wise...

This is one of my favorite quotes attributed to Emerson...a definition of success:

"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 even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson


Please share your favorite quote from anyone with me here and many thanks.

1 comment:

LyndaKay said...

When my husband's best friend died a few years ago, his wife handed out cards at the funeral with this quote on it, for he was a successful man in many ways. DH keeps this under his desktop glass and sees it everyday.