How do you determine if a life was "successful"?

Question

When you read a biography, what qualities of a life do you value and consider important?
Length of life? Accomplishments? Number of children? Quality of progeny? Happiness of individual? Happiness they created? Other ideas?

Answer 1

I take the standpoint that philosopher Richard Taylor takes in The Meaning of Life. He argues that people fill their days with mindless, repetitious activities day in and day out, and thus the meaning of their life is.. Well, meaningless. In addition, he states that for one to true live a meaningful life is for one to create something that otherwise would not have existed unless that specific person had placed it into existence. This extends beyond simply creative endeavors; for example, being one's friend and helping them through a struggle can help define one's level of "success" in their life.. Y'dig? :)

Answer 2

Well let's think about this.

You have Vincent van Gogh and...Paris Hilton.

If I were to look at Vincent's life, he lived a suffering one. He couldn't get a true love, and when he did, he was banned from seeing her. People misunderstood him for some ugly freak. His art was considered to be filthy, coming from a filthy poor man who smokes and drinks a lot. He never lived a happy life. However, his artwork became successful after he did, and he's known for his letters to his brother Theo and his famous painting, "Starry Night." He was a tormented genius.

Let's look at Paris Hilton. She hasn't done anything that's considered talented, unless making sex tapes, coming up with the phrase "That's hot", and bring cluelessness to a new level counts. However, she's rich, and although she may not have a husband right now, she's been in healthy relationships.

So I guess it would depend on what kind of person you're reading about. Vincent is successful in the sense that he accomplished something. Paris is successful in the sense that she has Daddy's money. In the field of art, Vincent is successful. In the field of...whatever, Paris is successful.

Generally, you'd look at someone being successful by their accomplishments...which was probably the answer you were looking for in the first place, huh =)

Answer 3

Francisco De Goya was a successfull artist-painter. But, he only had 1 child,became deaf in 1 ear. Charles Darwin was a successfull Scientist had 8 kids but lost 1. Thomas Edison was a succesfull inventor-enterpernuer, had 6 kids but lost his first wife(she died from a disease). Nikola Tesla sucessfull inventor lived a long life 85,no kids or wife. Albert Einstein original- sucessfull Physicist, had 3 kids ? One became a Schizophrenic (mentally ill). Issac Newton,original Physicist,Astronomer,Mathematician,no wife,no kids but became Master of the Mint and the main professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University & invented the reflecting telescope,Calculus,cut up light int spectrum colours. Hugh Hefner publisher of
Playboy magazine, 3 kids ? lots of sexy babes at the snap of his fingers,lives in The Playboy Mantion,Billionaire, do the girls really like him for his body ? Does he really get to have sex with most of them ? No highly original or usefull ideas to help mankind.
Take your pick.

Answer 4

For the most part. But I also believe that if we spend some days doing nothing at all, or doing useless or unwise things, that that doesn't necessarily determine the nature of our entire life.

Answer 5

If you die then, you weren't successful at life.

Success is subjective and not a nice way to live. Always feeling like one could be more successful is not to enjoy whatever success one has.

Lightening up would be a good message for many people.

Answer 6

did the person grow, learn, improve theirselves in some way? to me , that would be most successful, if they didnt do that, did they do no harm?
those things would seem to matter the most
of course, if you touched someones life, if you are fondly remembered, often count, yet, there are times when someone may have great accomplishments, noted by current society, loved by their family, but they do great harm to others, and really dont develop as a human being

Answer 7

We cannot know by reading if a person achieved enlightenment or full 'aliveness' unless of course they have lived miserable lives - then its quite clear they didn't.
But, if they have pursued what they loved, their passion, then that is the core of a grand and successful life.

Answer 8

that depends
you can be sucessful in a carrer but you have to be happy with that career or your life wasnt sucessful at all, ts like a story i heard once
their was a world famous doctor and his sucessor, so the sucessor asks the docter if he thought his life was good
the docter says that he wanted to do something else but never had the chance and then he said "my life was sucessful to the world but i think my life was worthless"

Answer 9

When you do your best, when you keep your dignity and don't sell it, when you remain believed in truth, success is there and THIS is important for me, not accomplishment and stuff like that.

Answer 10

If your existence has brought more light than darkness to the people you have touched in your lifetime, then I believe you are successful human being.