He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.

This poem was written by Elisabeth-Anne “Bessie” Anderson Stanley for a 1904 contest offering a prize for a definition of “success” in 100 or fewer words. Stanley won first place and received $250 for her entry.

In the decades that followed, a paraphrased version began circulating, and in syndicated columns during the mid-20th century, Albert Edward Wiggam attributed a similar form of the poem to Ralph Waldo Emerson without providing a source.

The misattribution spread widely. Ann Landers, a popular advice columnist, printed it under Emerson’s name, and later under Harry Emerson Fosdick. Only in 1984 did Landers finally credit Bessie Anderson Stanley—although she reprinted Wiggam’s altered wording rather than Stanley’s original text.

This passage defines success not as wealth, status, or acclaim, but as the cumulative impact of one’s character and presence in the world. Success is portrayed as a way of living well, rather than a goal to be conquered.

It emphasizes:

• Relational integrity (trust, respect, affection)
• Purposeful contribution (filling one’s niche and completing one’s work)
• Attunement to beauty (noticing and expressing what is good in the world)
• Moral influence (leaving things better than they were found)
• Generosity of spirit (seeking the best in others and offering one’s best)

The final lines shift from living to legacy: if a person’s life inspires others while they are alive, and their memory blesses others after they are gone, then that life has achieved something more enduring than external success. In this worldview, success is measured in character, contribution, beauty, love, and uplift, not in recognition or possessions.

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.

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 the 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!