Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Robert Louis Stevenson

Quote by Robert Louis Stevenson

“Happiness and goodness, according to canting moralists, stand in the relation of effect and cause. There was never anything less proved or less probable: our happiness is never in our own hands; we inherit our constitution; we stand buffet among friends and enemies; we may be so built as to feel a sneer or an aspersion with unusual keenness and so circumstanced as to be unusually exposed to them; we may have nerves very sensitive to pain, and be afflicted with a disease very painful. Virtue will not help us, and it is not meant to help us.”

Quote by Robert Louis Stevenson

Book:A Christmas Sermon
Create image

Work

A Christmas Sermon

This text is a collection of sermons delivered on the occasion of Christmas, offering reflections on the religious significance of the holiday and its implications for personal and communal faith. more

Author

Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson was a 19th-century Scottish novelist, poet, travel writer, and essayist. His works are characterized by adventure and romance, with his most famous novels being 'Treasure Island' and 'The Adventure of the Treasure Island'. Stevenson's works have been beloved by readers and have had a profound impact on literature. more

You May Also Like

“The Church makes no man less free than he was before. But we chiefly value freedom in order to give it away; every man who loves surrenders his freedom, whether his passion be the love of a woman, the love of a cause, or the love of God. . . Hence: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Everyone wants the things that only a love of God will bring to him, but most men today seek them in the wrong places. That is why no one comes to God without a revolution of the spirit; he must stop seeking his good in Godlessness.”

LoveGodGoodnessGodlessness
Book:Peace of Soul: Timeless Wisdom on Finding Serenity and Joy by the Century's Most Acclaimed Catholic Bishop
Create image

“Unless a drop of water is consumed by the day's heat and rises to the heavens, it cannot bring forth its nourishing rain upon the earth— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber Life has little meaning without a place to protect and loved ones to come home to. Find your home, Nicholas. Fill it with the laughter of many children, for it is there that you will find your greatest happiness and your greatest reward— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber What more could a man want than a good conscience, good friends, and a woman as lovely as you— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber If it be a vision, it will not let loose of you, for it may depend on you for its completion— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber Who can stand against his conscience and live honorably? The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber What is goodness without strength? The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber Trust is a hard thing to come by… but it comes easier between friends— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber The world is a living, moving thing, but it should not confuse us. Though it can be unpredictable, its wonders can be understood and made certain. To the one who takes the time to observe what is, what is not, and what can be, the world is no longer magical but familiar— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber There is no joy in war. And yet we are more than happy to welcome it as a friend when it suits our purpose— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber That is the natural order of his world. If you are good to him, he may return the favor. If not, he may leave a lump of coal in your bedroll— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber I said there was not much magic in the world— but there is some. One day, we elves will discover how the trees do this. Then it will no longer be magic— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber We will now become as those of other nations. We will live short, pithy lives, and our years will be as a vapor and a mist. This, too, is a pity— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber Today, I am found to be a killer. I would be any man who is not so— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber All men must examine their actions, whether good or bad. But do not let this one event lead you into the dark places where there is weeping and the gnashing of teeth. For in the dark places, there is no wise council— especially your own. Seek the light, Nicholas, and stay amongst friends, for they will not let you slink into those places where you think you belong— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber You are not a man of war, Nicholas— we have determined this. The sleigh is the right place for you. Just keep your speed and do not let the powder fall upon you, and you’ll be fine,” he chuckled. And don’t hurt my reindeer— The Winter King: The Rise of Nicholas by Mark Streuber”

Inspirational QuotesWisdom QuotesLife Lessons QuotesTruth QuotesHumor Quotes
Author:Mark Streuber
Create image

“He awoke each morning with the desire to do right, to be a good and meaningful person, to be, as simple as it sounded and as impossible as it actually was, happy. And during the course of each day his heart would descend from his chest into his stomach. By early afternoon he was overcome by the feeling that nothing was right, or nothing was right for him, and by the desire to be alone. By evening he was fulfilled: alone in the magnitude of his grief, alone in his aimless guilt, alone even in his loneliness. I am not sad, he would repeat to himself over and over, I am not sad. As if he might one day convince himself. Or fool himself. Or convince others--the only thing worse than being sad is for others to know that you are sad. I am not sad. I am not sad. Because his life had unlimited potential for happiness, insofar as it was an empty white room. He would fall asleep with his heart at the foot of his bed, like some domesticated animal that was no part of him at all. And each morning he would wake with it again in the cupboard of his rib cage, having become a little heavier, a little weaker, but still pumping. And by the midafternoon he was again overcome with the desire to be somewhere else, someone else, someone else somewhere else. I am not sad.”

Sadness
Book:Everything Is Illuminated
Create image