Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
This grove, that was now so peaceful, must then have rung with cries, I thought; and even with the thought I could believe I heard it ringing still.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the contrast between past turmoil and present peace in a natural setting.
In this quote, Robert Louis Stevenson reflects on how a serene grove, which appears tranquil in the present, was once filled with noise and cries. This juxtaposition highlights the passage of time and the tranquility that often follows chaos, allowing one to appreciate the peacefulness of the present while being mindful of its tumultuous past.
Themes
PeaceNatureContrastTimeTranquility
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one might refer to this quote to illustrate how we can find peace after hardship.
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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