“ They say cowardice is infectious; but then argument is, on the other hand, a great emboldener; and so when each had said his say, my mother made them a speech. ”
Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island (1883). copy citation
| Author | Robert Louis Stevenson |
|---|---|
| Source | Treasure Island |
| Topic | courage speech cowardice |
| Date | 1883 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://www.gutenberg.org/files/120/120-h/120-h.htm |
Context
“And the short and the long of the matter was, that while we could get several who were willing enough to ride to Dr. Livesey's, which lay in another direction, not one would help us to defend the inn.
They say cowardice is infectious; but then argument is, on the other hand, a great emboldener; and so when each had said his say, my mother made them a speech. She would not, she declared, lose money that belonged to her fatherless boy; «If none of the rest of you dare,» she said, «Jim and I dare. Back we will go, the way we came, and small thanks to you big, hulking, chicken-hearted men.” source
They say cowardice is infectious; but then argument is, on the other hand, a great emboldener; and so when each had said his say, my mother made them a speech. She would not, she declared, lose money that belonged to her fatherless boy; «If none of the rest of you dare,» she said, «Jim and I dare. Back we will go, the way we came, and small thanks to you big, hulking, chicken-hearted men.” source
Meaning and analysis
