Une chose m'a frappée lorsque j'ai vu les réponses concernant les mots associés à "succès". Il semble que les Américains associent beaucoup le succès à l'argent alors que c'est beaucoup moins le cas chez les Français. Peut-être est-ce l'héritage des 'self-made men' tels Rockefeller ou Bill Gates de nos jours''

I would agree that American culture associates money with success. This may be related to the "American Dream" or the concept of "rags to riches," in which Americans believe that anyone can become rich if they work hard. Also, it is easy to measure the amount of money that a person has and use it as a comparible measure of success, while other words that people used (like happiness), are much harder to compare.

I agree with Rachel when she says that happiness and content are not easy to weigh or measure. People today have thus decided that the only way to discover their status or standing in american society is by comparing their bank balances. This is probably the easiest explanation as to why american now equate sucess with money

In America money is a very important thing. The attitude you noted of "pulling yourself up by the bootstaps," is considered the way to succeed in a society that gives little social benefits. Happiness is secondary, money can buy you happiness.

Je ne comprends pas l'expression "pulling yourself up by the bootstaps". Crois-tu vraiment que l'argent passe avant le bonheur? Chez nous, c'est assez difficile à concevoir et je pense qu'il serait étrange d'imaginer pouvoir vivre avec beaucoup d'argent et de ne pas être heureux (ou de ne pas chercher à l'être!).

Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is an old fashioned expression that means if you don't have a lot of money you can still be successful as long as you work really hard.

Penses-tu réellement que l'argent peut t'apporter le bonheur? J'aimerai que tu m'expliques comment tu conçois le bonheur s'il te plait...

Pour moi c'est de l'amour, des proches, de la santé et l'harmonie. Toutes ces choses ne peuvent s'obtenir avec de l'argent. Je pense que dans la vie, les biens matéraiux sont périssables et superficiels; ne sont authentiques que tes expériences humaines.

Elodie

I agree with you. I think that many Americans believe money will make them happy because it allows them to buy material goods and create a better life for their family. However, people then tend to forget about the truly important, sustaining things in their lives— such as love, family, and friends. These things bring me greater happiness than any material object I have ever bought or been given.

I think you're correct in this assumption. For many, their goal in life is to achieve the "American Dream," which is to make money, be successful, provide for your children, and live in comfort. Success is a huge part of the American Dream and is deeply embedded in our culture.

Also, Americans value fame or recognition for their achievements as part of "success." The opinions of others seem to be more important to the Americans than to the French.

Selon vous, y a-t-il d'autre chose qui sont aussi importantes dans la vie que l'argent pour acquerir le bonheur?

Abby,je ne comprends pas ce que tu veux dire. La syntaxe est bizarrement construite.

I mean that to Americans, what other people think of them is important. Americans associate fame with success because they care what other people think of them. Americans are generally quite competitive, and they often like to be considered "better" than others in one way or another.

Mais quand on y pense, l'argent ne fait pas le bonheur,je veux bien, mais il y contribue largement. Il ne faut pas se voiler la face et se dire que l'on serait aussi heureux sans argent qu'avec. La société nous a ainsi transformé. Et dans la vie de tous les jours, on entend souvent dire que quelqu'un qui a réussi et souvent quelqu'un qui a de l'argent,non? Bien sûr, il y a réussite professionnelle et réussite personelle. Mais bon, je suis malgré tout ok avec toi pour dire que sans amour et sans bonheur, on irait pas très loin.

Lorsque je lis les réponses américaines mais aussi françaises concernant le succès, je remarque beaucoup de personnes ont associé cette notion au bonheur ou a des choses positives. Pourtant, le succès n'a-t-il pas parfois des côtés négatifs? N'est-il pas dangereux? Ne conduit-il pas à la démesure?

I think in our sense of the word, success is a positive word. In applying the term to work, I would say it would be necessary to be cautious if you are successful in the sense that your job goes well, and you earn a lot of money (for example). You might want to be careful so you do not become cocky, or distanced from other things that matter (such as family). In that sense, maybe the term could have negative connotations. Overall, it is a positive term, I think.