“The man is a success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world a better place than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.”
Bessie Anderson Stanley (born Caroline Elizabeth Anderson (March 25, 1879 - October 2, 1952) was an American writer, the author of the poem “Success” (“What is success?” Or “”What constitutes success?”), which is often incorrectly attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson or Robert Louis Stevenson. She was born in Newton, Iowa, and married Arthur Jehu Stanley in 1900, living thereafter in Lincoln, Kansas. Her poem was written in 1904 for a contest held in Brown Book Magazine, by George Livingston Richards Co. of Boston, Massachusetts. Mrs. Stanley submitted the words in the form of an essay, rather than as a poem. The competition was to answer the question, “What is success?” in 100 words or less. Mrs. Stanley won the first prize of $250. The verse is inscribed on her gravestone in Lincoln Cemetery, Kansas.
