Don’t Judge Each Day By The Harvest You Reap

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“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 – 1894) was a Scottish writer during the Victorian era. His stories of adventure such as the famous “Treasure Island” were influenced by his many trips abroad. By the age of 28, he had already published his first volume and became a well-loved writer in his own generation.

Stevenson studied Engineering and Law but never developed a real interest in them. Instead, he pursued writing and refused to take on the family business on lighthouse designing. His rich imagination and his flair with words made it easy for him to write adventure fictions. However, his first literary works were accounts of his trips and humorous essays that display his wit and effective writing.

He wrote his most famous and memorable works while spending most of him time in bed due to tuberculosis. It was then that he created “Treasure Island” and some of his other major works.

He earned the respect of his contemporaries who were also big names in the world of literature. They recognized his contribution in Neo-romanticism, and later wrote their own adventure stories under his influence.

This quote is a strong manifestation of Stevenson’s motivation in life despite his illnesses. This strength of character can also be found in the lives of these other great personalities:

“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” -Confucius, philosopher

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” -Walter Elliot, Scottish politician