This Guy Documents His "Basic White Sister's" House, And It Keeps Hitting Every Checkmark Of That 'Live Laugh Love' Life

So when did the "live, laugh, love" thing actually begin? While the phrase has often been misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the words were first linked together in a poem called "Success" by Iowan writer Bessie Anderson Stanley in 1904.

The opening line of the poem says: "He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much." It was originally written as the winning entry in an essay contest run by Brown Book Magazine, for which Bessie won a cash prize of $250. The money paid off the mortgage on her house, among other things. When she died in 1952 at the age of 73, the verse was inscribed on her gravestone in Lincoln Cemetery, Kansas.

The words appeared again in James Joyce's 1939 novel Finnegans Wake. "They lived and laughed and loved and left," Joyce writes.

Fast-forward to present days, and you can even be buried in a "live, laugh, love." C.J Boots casket company in Anderson, Indiana, offers a shabby chic-styled coffin with the words on the inside.

Owner Chris Boots says that in the three years since they came up with the design, it has become one of their most popular. "We've found that our customers really like the option of this casket, it’s a more of a whitewashed look which is a popular style; but the quote is extremely popular too," Boots tells Refinery29, adding that he has never seen anything similar on the market.

"We’re pretty creative here, they’re very bespoke: they sell for around $1,500-$2,500."

While some people roll their eyes at the idea of decorating coffins with inspirational quotes, many, like John's sister, are perfectly okay with putting them all over their homes.

Online home store Wayfair, for example, stocks over 56K "live, laugh, love" products.

A representative for the company revealed that wall stickers are selling the best. "It’s a fun, affordable, and flexible temporary alternative to wallpaper," they said.