Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
You seem to me to be a pretty lucky young man; keep your eyes open to your mercies. That part of piety is eternal; and the man who forgets to be grateful has fallen asleep in life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Gratitude is essential for a fulfilling life, and being aware of one's blessings keeps one engaged with life.
In this quote, Robert Louis Stevenson emphasizes the importance of gratitude and awareness of the good things in life. He suggests that recognizing and appreciating one's blessings is a form of spiritual awareness, and neglecting to do so leads to a lethargy toward life itself, as though one has 'fallen asleep'. This perspective encourages individuals to remain conscious of their fortunes and to nurture a sense of thankfulness as a vital part of living fully.
Themes
GratitudeBlessingsAwarenessLifeThankfulness
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about personal development, you might include this quote to underline the importance of appreciating what we have.
More from Robert Louis Stevenson
All quotes →Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
That man is a success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
His past was fairly blameless; few men could read the rolls of their life with less apprehension; yet he was humbled to the dust by the many ill things he had done, and raised up again into sober and fearful gratitude by the many he had come so near to doing, yet avoided.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
The habit of being happy enables one to be freed, or largely freed, from the domination of outward conditions.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
It is the history of our kindnesses that alone make this world tolerable. If it were not for that, for the effect of kind words, kind looks, kind letters . . . I should be inclined to think our life a practical jest in the worst possible spirit.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
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