Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
Strange as my circumstances were, the terms of this debate are as old and commonplace as man; much the same inducements and alarms cast the die for any tempted and trembling sinner; and it fell out with me, as it falls with so vast a majority of my fellows, that I chose the better part and was found wanting in the strength to keep to it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the universal struggle between temptation and moral choice faced by humanity.
In this contemplative quote, Robert Louis Stevenson illustrates the timeless and universal nature of moral dilemmas that individuals face. He acknowledges the common human experience of being torn between the allure of temptation and the desire to do what is right, ultimately admitting to his own failure to consistently uphold the better choice. This struggle is depicted as a shared aspect of human existence, resonating with the experiences of many who falter despite their intentions.
Themes
TemptationMoral ChoiceStruggleHuman NatureSelf-Control
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the challenges of making ethical decisions in difficult circumstances.
More from Robert Louis Stevenson
All quotes →Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.
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That man is a success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much.
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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.
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The habit of being happy enables one to be freed, or largely freed, from the domination of outward conditions.
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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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