To laugh often and love much;
To win the respect of intelligent persons
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 happy 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.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this quote. It really influences me to do better and think of the little things. I hope at the end of my life, I can feel that I have succeeded and made an impact in someone else's life. I volunteer and tutor kids in Washington Park and have grown extremely close to all of them. I hope I am beginning my life of success now and making a difference in all of their lives, even if it is a small one.