Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson

By Tom Kirvan

Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson – the man behind such classic works as “Kidnapped,” “Treasure Island,” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” – died of a cerebral hemorrhage on December 3, 1894 at the age of 44.

Stevenson, who studied law at the University of Edinburgh, was called to the Scottish bar in 1875 but never practiced, opting instead to pursue a career in writing, churning out books, essays, plays, and poems to popular acclaim.

Plagued by poor health much of his life, Stevenson published “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” in 1886, etching the names of the two alter egos into societal shorthand for a person with two distinct personalities – one good, the other evil. Stevenson reportedly was inspired to write the book by a real-life Edinburgh criminal named Deacon Brodie, a respected member of the town council and a successful cabinet-maker who led a secret life as a burglar and philanderer in the late 1700s.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Reflecting on the tale of troubles, Stevenson surmised, “Sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.”

Some of his other memorable lines:

“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.”
“A friend is a gift you give yourself.”
“Compromise is the best and cheapest lawyer.”
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
“An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding.”