Live, Laugh, Love Explained

"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" Generation X^[1] decor and with what Vice described as "speaking-to-the-manager shallowness".^[2]

The phrase is an abridged form of the 1904 poem "Success" by Bessie Anderson Stanley which begins:

This phrase was subsequently popularized by Ann Landers and a 1990 Dear Abby column, where it was misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson.^{[3] [4]}

2010s merchandise

"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.^{[3] [4]} The Live Love Laugh Foundation, a mental health organization in India founded by Deepika Padukone, takes its name from the phrase.

Vice noted that the trend had largely passed by 2020.^[2] Google Trends shows that searches for the phrase peaked between 2009 and 2014 in the United States, falling in popularity since then.^[5]

See also

• Keep Calm and Carry On, another motivational phrase, originally from World War II in Britain, that became popular around the same time.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 'Live, Laugh, Love': The Most Crushing Gen Z Insult, Explained - the Pollack Group . May 14, 2022 . June 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220628151449/https://www.pollackgroup.com/red-all-about-it/live-laugh-love-the-most-crushing-gen-z-insult-explained . live .
2. Web site: 'Live, Laugh, Love' Mums Defend the Much-Maligned Decor Trend. Amelia. Tate. June 9, 2020. April 16, 2021. Vice. April 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210416165129/https://www.vice.com/en/article/ep4xwn/live-laugh-love-mums-defend-decor-trend. live.
3. Web site: This Is the Origin of "Live, Laugh, Love". Brie. Dyas. July 7, 2017. April 16, 2021. House Beautiful. April 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210416165137/https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a7206/where-did-live-love-laugh-come-from/. live.
4. Web site: A Deep Dive Into How 'Live, Laugh, Love' Infiltrated Our Homes. Jessica. Barrett. April 9, 2019. April 16, 2021. Refinery 29. April 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210416165217/https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/live-laugh-love-origin. live.
5. Web site: live laugh love – Explore – Google Trends. April 16, 2021.