Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
I would rather do a good hours work weeding than write two pages of my best; nothing is so interesting as weeding. I went crazy over the outdoor work, and at last had to confine myself to the house, or literature must have gone by the board.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a preference for engaging in physical work over literary creation, highlighting a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature and manual labor.
In this quote, Robert Louis Stevenson emphasizes the joy and satisfaction he finds in outdoor work, specifically weeding, suggesting that he finds it more stimulating and fulfilling than writing. This reflects a broader idea that hands-on experiences and connection with nature can be as rewarding, if not more so, than intellectual or creative pursuits, pointing to the balance between artistic endeavors and physical labor.
Themes
WeedingNatureWorkWritingSatisfaction
In practice
Example use cases
During a speaking engagement about the importance of connecting with nature, I shared this quote to illustrate the value of hands-on work.
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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