Robert Louis Stevenson Quotes

A collection of quotes by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was a renowned Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. Born on November 13, 1850, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Stevenson was raised in a family of lighthouse engineers. However, his passion for writing led him to pursue a career in literature.

Stevenson began his writing career as an essayist and travel writer, capturing the essence of his journeys and experiences in various publications. He gained international recognition for his travelogue "An Inland Voyage" (1878) and "Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes" (1879). These works established his reputation as a skilled writer of adventure and exploration.

Nevertheless, it was Stevenson's novels that truly made him a literary icon. His most famous works include "Treasure Island" (1883), a thrilling tale of pirates, treasure hunts, and adventure on the high seas, and "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" (1886), a chilling exploration of dual personalities and the nature of evil. These novels, along with others like "Kidnapped" (1886) and "The Master of Ballantrae" (1889), gained him widespread acclaim for his ability to captivate readers with his vivid imagination and engaging storytelling.

Despite struggling with ill health throughout his life, Stevenson continued to write prolifically until his death at the age of 44 in Samoa on December 3, 1894. His literary contributions, which transcended genres and captivated readers of all ages, make him one of the most celebrated and influential authors of the Victorian era.

A friend is a gift you give yourself.

A friend is a gift you give yourself.

Robert Louis Stevenson


I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel'

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.

Robert Louis Stevenson


It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a cla

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.

Robert Louis Stevenson


Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.

Robert Louis Stevenson


Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a poor

Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a poor substitute for life.

Robert Louis Stevenson


So long as we love, we serve so long as we are loved by othe

So long as we love, we serve so long as we are loved by others, I should say that we are almost indispensable and no man is useless while he has a friend.

Robert Louis Stevenson


Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only

Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things.

Robert Louis Stevenson


There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being h

There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.

Robert Louis Stevenson


You can forgive people who do not follow you through a philo

You can forgive people who do not follow you through a philosophical disquisition; but to find your wife laughing when you had tears in your eyes, or staring when you were in a fit of laughter, would go some way towards a dissolution of the marriage.

Robert Louis Stevenson


You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight

You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?

Robert Louis Stevenson


It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive.

It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive.

Robert Louis Stevenson


The mark of a good action is that it appears inevitable in r

The mark of a good action is that it appears inevitable in retrospect.

Robert Louis Stevenson


Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall.

Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, until the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means.

Robert Louis Stevenson


Marriage is one long conversation, checkered by disputes.

Marriage is one long conversation, checkered by disputes.

Robert Louis Stevenson


If a man loves the labor of his trade apart from any questio

If a man loves the labor of his trade apart from any question of success or fame, the Gods have called him.

Robert Louis Stevenson


Our business in this world is not to succeed, but to continu

Our business in this world is not to succeed, but to continue to fail, in good spirits.

Robert Louis Stevenson


I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to wr

I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Books Reading Inspirational On Writing

I feel very strongly about putting questions; it partakes to

I feel very strongly about putting questions; it partakes too much of the style of the day of judgement. You start a question, and it's like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the stone goes, starting others; and presently some bland old bird (the last you would have thought of) is knocked on the head in his own back garden, and the family have to change their name. No, sir, I make it a rule of mine: the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Life Advice Inspirational

There is certainly some chill and arid knowledge to be found

There is certainly some chill and arid knowledge to be found upon the summits of formal and laborious science; but it is all round about you, and for the trouble of looking, that you will acquire the warm and palpitating facts of life.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Life Science Trouble

Wine is bottled poetry.

Wine is bottled poetry.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Alcohol/alcoholism