“He [Stanley] had stated that he longed to do something wonderful for the African tribes along the Congo, and instead, as would become all too apparent, had set them up for a terrible fate. In 1877 he came down the great river as the first European ever to do so, declaring his hope that the Congo should become like `a torch to those who sought to do good'." Instead, it became the torch that attracted the archexploiter King Leopold II of Belgium.” ExplorationAfricaCongoColonisationHenry Morton Stanley Book:Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer Source: Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer
“Stanley must have realized that this postponement would probably be fatal. But while he did not give up, he never for a moment thought of abandoning his African quest [...] Yet Stanley still longed for the security of marriage, and hoped he could find Livingstone and marry Katie. [...] The romantic side of his nature told him that their story ought to end in marriage: the workhouse boy, having distinguished himself beyond all expectations, weds the daughter of the respectable local gentleman, and they live happily ever afterwards in a big house [...] But Katie had never understood his inner conviction of being chosen for a great task.” HistoryExplorationAfricaCongoHenry Morton Stanley Book:Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer Source: Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer