Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer whose best known works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and A Child’s Garden of Verses.
Born on the 13th November in Edinburgh Scotland Robert would suffer from extremely poor health throughout his childhood which would leave him with a weak chest which necessitated him moving to warmer climes to maintain his health and in turn would provide him with his career as a travel writer.
Accompanying his father during his regular tours of Scotland’s lighthouses Stevenson fell in love with the sea and would begin writing fiction about the ocean and life aboard and abroad. His first and probably best known novel Treasure Island was published in 1883 when Stephenson was just 33 and he would go on to become a literary celebrity, much admired and adored by those around him. Admired by many writers it has been said of Stevenson that he “seemed to pick the right word up on the point of his pen, like a man playing spillikins.” and we think these 10 Robert Louis Stevenson Quotes are a testament to his skill as a writer.
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.
There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.
The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish.
There are two things that men should never weary of, goodness and humility; we get none too much of them in this rough world among cold, proud people.
A friend is a gift you give yourself.
You think those dogs will not be in heaven! I tell you they will be there long before any of us.
Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.
I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.
Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.
In 1890 Stevenson purchased some land in Upolu, an island in Samoa where he established himself, after much work, upon his estate in the village of Vailima. He took the native name Tusitala (Samoan for “Teller of Tales”, i.e. a storyteller) and became a revered member of the community. Sadly his health continued to decline and Stevenson became very depressed and fearing becoming an invalid said “I wish to die in my boots; no more Land of Counterpane for me. To be drowned, to be shot, to be thrown from a horse — ay, to be hanged, rather than pass again through that slow dissolution.”
After suddenly finding some of his earlier vigour and beginning to write again Stevenson whilst opening a bottle of wine on the evening of 3 December 1894 is reported to have exclaimed “What’s that!” asking his wife “Does my face look strange?” and collapsed; he died a few hours later from a suspected brain haemorrhage at the age of 44 and is buried in a spot overlooking the sea near Mount Vaea.
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The one about being happy…needed to read that today.
Can you tell me where in his writing I can find it in context?