Live well, laugh often, love much

The Wicker Woman® Cathryn Peters standing in front of her wicker weaving studio.

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much~~

Wonderful words and sentiment, aren’t they? Bantered around the Internet for years and used on many blogs, websites, and even used in home decorations, made into vinyl wall decals! But have you ever stopped to think what that string of words actually means?

I did a Google search and found the poem in its entirety, written by Bessie Anderson Stanley in 1904 entitled “Success,” which was first published in Brown Book Magazine and later in the Boston National Magazine.

Her poem strikes a chord and resonates with me, it’s the way I’ve been striving to live my life for well over a decade now.

See if it doesn’t affect you the same way. Enjoy!

“He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it, whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.”
Success by Bessie Anderson Stanley