A Life Well Lived Poem
Poems celebrating love, kindness, purpose, and joy for a life well-lived.
Updated July 12, 2025, by Catherine Pulsifer
Well Lived
A life well lived is a precious gift
Of hope and strength and grace,
From someone who has made our world
A brighter, better place
It’s filled with moments, sweet and sad
With smiles and sometimes tears,
With friendships formed and good times shared
And laughter through the years.
A life well lived is a legacy
Of joy and pride and pleasure,
A living, lasting memory
Our grateful hearts will treasure
Life’s True Measure
Life’s not about riches or fame,
It’s the lives you touch that build your name.
A small kind word, a helping hand,
Can ripple like waves across the land.
It’s not the size of the deeds you do,
But the love and care that shine through.
A smile can lift a weary soul,
A tiny act can make someone whole.
Kindness costs nothing yet means so much,
It heals the heart with a gentle touch.
Living with purpose, a life well-spent,
Brings peace and joy, a heart content.
So, make a difference, both big and small,
Every action of love can inspire us all.
For when your days are said and done,
It’s the love you’ve shared that truly won.
Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to everyone you meet.
To make everyone you know feel that
there is something good in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best,
and expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to
greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and
give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that
you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble in your mind.
Poems About Happiness
What I Live For
I live for those that love me,
For those that know me true,
For the heaven that smiles above me,
And waits my coming to.
For the course that needs assistance,
For the wrongs that need resistance,
For the future in the distance,
For the good that I can do.
Build On Resolve
Build on resolve, and not upon regret,
The structure of thy future. Do not grope
Among the shadows of old sins, but let
Thine own soul's light shine on the path of hope.
And dissipate the darkness. Waste no tears
Upon the blotted record of lost years.
But turn the leaf, and smile, oh, smile to see
The fair, white pages that remain for thee.
You Will Not Be Sorry
You will not be sorry:
For hearing before judging,
For thinking before speaking,
For holding an angry tongue,
For stopping the ear to a tale-bearer,
For disbelieving most of the ill reports,
For relieving the distressed,
For being kind to everybody,
For doing good to all men,
For asking pardon for all wrongs,
For speaking evil of no one,
For being courteous to all
Take A Chance Quotes
Reaching For Rainbows
If we don’t ever take chances,
we won’t reach the rainbows.
If we don’t ever search,
we’ll never be able to find.
If we don’t attempt to get over
our doubts and fears,
we’ll never discover how wonderful
it is to live without them.
If we don’t go beyond difficulty,
we won’t grow any stronger.
If we don’t keep our dreams alive,
we won’t have our dreams any longer.
But. . .
if we can take a chance now and then,
seek and search, discover and dream,
grow and go through each day
with the knowledge that
we can only take as much as we can give,
and we can only get as much out of life
as we allow ourselves to live. . .
Then. . .
we can be truly happy.
We can realize a dream or two along the way,
and we can make a habit of
reaching out for rainbows
and coloring our lives
with wonderful days.
Heads, Hearts, And Hands
Heads that think and hearts that feel,
Hands that turn the busy wheel,
Make our life worth living here,
In this mundane hemisphere:
Heads to plan what hearts shall do,
Hearts to bear us bravely through
Thinking head and toiling hand
Are the masters of the land.
When a thought becomes a thing,
Busy hands make hammers ring
Until honest work has wrought
Into shape the thinker's thought;
Which will aid to civilize,
And make nations great and wise,
Lifting to a lofty height
In this age of thought and light.
Miracles of science show
With their light the way to go;
Touch a tube of gas, and light
Blossoms like the stars of night;
Touch another tube, and lo!
Streams of crystal waters flow;
Touch a telegraphic wire,
And your thought has wings of fire.
Hail to honest hearts and hands,
And to the head that understands;
Hands that dare to truth subscribe,
Hands that never touched a bribe;
Hearts that hate a deed unjust,
Hearts that other hearts can trust;
Heads that plan for others' weal,
Heads poised over hearts that feel.
Living Life Poem
Our Worth
I hold that all of life is used
In summing up what we are worth,
As all the elements are fused
To make this mighty earth.
Not one great act, nor golden deed,
One glowing speech that was sublime,
Shall be the only thing we'll need
To stand the wear of time.
Both love and hate shall be as all.
Both doubt and faith - all deeds on earth,
The greatest things, as well as small,
Shall show our royal worth.
Yea, all we've ever left undone.
And all we ever do shall be
The test where Heaven's crown is won.
And what God's eyes shall see.
It Will Show In Your Face
You don't have to tell how you live each day,
You don't have to say if you work or you play;
A tried, true barometer serves in the place,
However you live, it will show in your face.
The false, the deceit that you bear in your heart.
Will not stay inside where it first got a start;
For sinew and blood are a thin veil of lace,
What you wear in your heart, you wear in your face.
If your life is unselfish, if for others you live,
For not what you get, but how much you can give;
If you live close to God in His infinite grace.
You don't have to tell it, it shows in your face.
He Lived A Life
What was his creed?
I do not know his creed, I only know
That here below, he walked the common road
And lifted many a load, lightened the task,
Brightened the day for others toiling on a weary way:
This, his only need; I do not know his creed.
What was his creed? I never heard him speak
Of visions rapturous, of Alpine peak
Of doctrine, dogma, new or old;
But this I know, he was forever bold
To stand alone, to face the challenge of each day.
His creed? I care not what his creed;
Enough that never yielded he to greed,
But served a brother in his daily need;
Plucked many a thorn and planted many a flower;
Glorified the service of each hour;
Had faith in God, himself, and fellow men
Perchance he never thought in terms of creed,
I only know he lived a life, in deed!
Today
Sure, this world is full of trouble -
I ain't said it ain't.
Lord! I've had enough an' double
Reason for complaint;
Rain an' storm have come to fret me,
Skies are often gray;
Thorns an' brambles have beset me
On the road - but say,
Ain't it fine today?
What's the use of always weepin',
Makin' trouble last?
What's the use of always keepin'
Thinkin' of the past?
Each must have his tribulation -
Water with his wine;
Life, it ain't no celebration,
Trouble? - I've had mine -
But today is fine!
It's today that I am livin',
Not a month ago.
Havin'; losin'; takin'; givin';
As time wills it so.
Yesterday a cloud of sorrow
Fell across the way;
It may rain again tomorrow,
It may rain - but say,
Ain't it fine today?
Life Journey Poems
The New Creed
I will start anew this morning' with a higher, fairer creed.
I will quit this fool complaining of my neighbor's greed;
I will cease to sit repining while my duty's call is clear.
I will waste no moment whining, and my heart shall know no fear
I will look sometimes about me for the things that merit praise,
I will search for hidden beauties that elude the grumbler's gaze;
I will try to find contentment in the path that I must tread,
I will cease to have resentment when another moves ahead.
I will not be swayed by envy when my rival's strength is shown,
I will not deny his merit, but I'll try to prove my own;
I will try to see the beauty spread before me rain or shine;
I will cease to preach your duty, and be more content with mine
Purpose
Live to some purpose, make thy life
A gift of use to thee,
A joy, a good and golden hope,
A heavenly argosy.
A Life Well Lived
A life well lived is one of love,
Filled with compassion, kindness, and hugs.
What you give out comes to you tenfold,
Bringing joy to hearts that can't be told.
Kind words and actions are a must do,
Smiles and laughter in everything you do.
Through love and understanding you brighten the days
You touch others' lives in many positive ways.
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Conclusion
As you finish reading these poems, may their words linger in your heart. They remind us that a life well lived isn’t about fame or riches, but about the simple things—kindness shown, love given, and gratitude felt. Each verse encourages us to be present in the moment, to find joy in the everyday, and to leave behind a legacy of caring.
Life isn’t always easy, but how we face the challenges makes all the difference. These poems speak to the strength found in hope and the peace that comes from helping others. Even small acts can leave a lasting impact. When we choose to lift someone up, to offer a smile or a helping hand, we are living with purpose and meaning.
Let these words be more than just poetry, let them be gentle reminders to live with heart. Embrace each day with thankfulness, live with honesty, and never miss a chance to make someone’s life a little brighter. That’s the true measure of a life well lived.
“A life well lived is not defined by what we gain, but by what we give.”
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