A Man for All Seasons

A man for all seasons
Believes in the goodness of life, the trust of friendship, the value of love;
He is a source of strength, a dreamer, a builder...
He is a man for all seasons.

That man is a success
Who has lived well, laughed often and loved much;
Who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children;
Who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an excellent poem or a new idea.

That man is content
Who knows the value of quiet contemplation;
Who has a sense of self, a steady conclusion that life is worth living;
Who is seldom at war with others and, so, finds it easy to be somewhat at peace with himself.

That man is happy
Who looks for the best in others and gives the best of himself;
Who can find challenge in hardship as well as delight in success;
Who knows that happiness is not so much a destination as it is a journey, a manner of traveling.

That man is fortunate
Who believes that his true wealth is measured somewhat more by what he is than what he has;
Who keeps the child within himself alive;
who can find adventure in a book, majesty in music and beauty in the world around him.

That man is free
Who is a friend to himself and can enjoy his own company in solitude;
Who can appreciate material things without allowing them to become his master;
Who heeds the guidance of his innermost heart and mind and follows his own path.

That man is well loved
Who is rich in admiration and free from envy;
Who possesses a natural optimism that touches all who know him and gives them joy;
Who is modest about his successes, candid about his failings, and quick to reach out and share both the joys and sorrows of those he loves.

That man is a friend
Who can go outside of himself and appreciate whatever is loving and noble in another;
Who believes in his friends and is willing to share with them his doubts and disappointments as well as his joys;
Who, once he has pledged his friendship with another, will keep that trust in spit of changing fortunes and adversity.

That man is strong
Who has fears, as all men do, but who can conquer those fears and go on to greater challenges;
Who refuses to bow easily to circumstances or to blame them, and
Who fashions opportunities out of obstacles;
Who is not only willing to speak out for his ideals, but willing to live his life according to what he believes is right.

That man is wise
Who knows that one of the principal purposes of life is to enjoy it;
Who seeks the wisdom of others but is finally accountable to his own conscience;
Who learns not only from books, but from flowers, seashells and stars, from animals and children, from his own experience and from the lives of others.

That man is creative
Who can take the odds and ends of an ordinary day and fashion them into memorable moments to share with those around him;
Who strives, not only to know himself, but to shape himself into the best human being he can possibly be;
Who can imagine a world that has never been and believe that his one life can help make that world a reality.

That man is fully alive
Who has enthusiasm, the magic spark that transforms being into living,
Who treasures the uniqueness of each sunset and savors the opportunity of every sunrise;
Who enjoys fully, feels deeply, gives generously and accepts gratefully all the wonders of the world.