Live, Laugh, Love
"Live, Laugh, Love" is a motivational three-word phrase that became a popular slogan on motivational posters and home decor in the late 2000s and early 2010s. By extension, the saying has also become pejoratively associated with a style of "basic" baby boomer decor and with what Vice described as "speaking-to-the-manager shallowness".[1]
The phrase is an abridged form of the 1904 poem "Success" by Bessie Anderson Stanley which begins:
He achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much
This phrase was subsequently popularized in the Ann Landers and Dear Abby columns, where it was misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson.[2][3] A similar phrase, popular on condolence cards, comes from James Joyce's 1939 novel Finnegans Wake:
They lived and laughed and loved and left
"Live, Laugh, Love" and variants on the phrase have appeared on framed posters, wall decals, ornaments, cushions, mugs, bed linen, jewellery and even on coffins.[2][3] The Live Love Laugh Foundation, a mental health NGO in India founded by Deepika Padukone, takes its name from the phrase.
Vice noted that the trend had largely passed by 2020.[1] Google Trends shows that searches for the phrase peaked between 2009 and 2014 in the United States, falling in popularity since then.[4]
See also[]
- Keep Calm and Carry On, another motivational phrase that became popular around the same time.
References[]
- ^ a b Tate, Amelia (June 9, 2020). "'Live, Laugh, Love' Mums Defend the Much-Maligned Decor Trend". Vice. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Dyas, Brie (July 7, 2017). "This Is the Origin of "Live, Laugh, Love"". House Beautiful. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Barrett, Jessica (April 9, 2019). "A Deep Dive Into How 'Live, Laugh, Love' Infiltrated Our Homes". Refinery 29. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "live laugh love – Explore – Google Trends". Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- Motivation
- Internet memes
- English phrases
- Slogans