Many people wonder what it means to "succeed" in life. The world says that to succeed, you need to make a lot of money, own a lot of stuff, have a lot of things. We all definitely need money to survive, but there is much more to "success" than what the world says. I like what the US philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said about success, which I have included on my own "favorite quotations" page:

SUCCESS

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and 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