This post is an opportunity to sample a few quotes from Robert Louis Stevenson, around whom there has always been a lot of debate as to whether he is a "first rate" or a "second rate" author.
My suggestion to anyone with an opinion: write a few books that captivate and endure like Stevenson's works have (ideally before you turn 44, his death at that age would otherwise give you an unfair advantage) and see whether you can have anything like his lasting impact on our collective imagination.
I'll then happily listen to your opinion, which no doubt by then will have grown very respectful if not completely over-awed.
P. Julian
30 January 2019
Here are those quotes:
You cannot run away from a weakness, you must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now and where you stand?
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name.