Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
Vanity dies hard; in some obstinate cases it outlives the man.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Vanity can persist even after a person has passed away.
The quote by Robert Louis Stevenson reflects on the tenacity of vanity, suggesting that for some individuals, their pride and self-importance can remain influential long after they are gone. This highlights how a person's ego can leave a lasting impact, echoing through time and affecting how they are remembered and perceived by others, often overshadowing their other traits.
Themes
VanityPrideEgoSelf-ImportanceHuman Nature
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about self-awareness, one could reference this quote to highlight the importance of humility.
More from Robert Louis Stevenson
All quotes βLike 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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