---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While still a student, Napoleon had…"
description: "\"“While still a student, Napoleon had written on the last page of his geography book: \"St. Helena. Small island.\" This may have been what we call a coin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/akutagawa-ryunosuke-79323_books_while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-writt_2489013.jpg"
---

#  While still a student, Napoleon had written on the last…

![“While still a student, Napoleon had written on the last page of his geography book: &quot;St. Helena. Small island.&quot; This may have been what we call a coincidence, but the thought must certainly have aroused terror in him in his last days.” quote by Akutagawa Ryunosuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/akutagawa-ryunosuke-79323_books_while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-writt_2489013.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/akutagawa-ryunosuke-79323_books_while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-writt_2489013.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/akutagawa-ryunosuke-79323_books_while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-writt_2489013.jpg)

> ““While still a student, Napoleon had written on the last page of his geography book: "St. Helena. Small island." This may have been what we call a coincidence, but the thought must certainly have aroused terror in him in his last days.””

[Akutagawa Ryunosuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akutagawa-ryunosuke/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Napoleon’s note of a remote island foreshadowed his exile, suggesting a subconscious premonition of his fate.

**In simple terms:** A note hinted at future exile.

Key Takeaway

Pay attention to subtle premonitions.

Themes

foreshadowing destiny historical irony

Mood

historical psychological

Type

Books:0 Island:1 Napoleon:1 Last Days:0 Coincidence Thought:0 Small Island:0 Napoleon Written:0 Student Napoleon:0 Island Coincidence:0

When to use this quote

- leadership studies
- psychology of fate
- historical analysis
- null

Key Concepts

military history personal diaries

Questions to Reflect On

- reflective
- thoughtful

A Different Perspective

Did Napoleon’s note influence his decisions?;What role do subconscious signs play in history?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Coincidence Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidence-thought-445452/) [Island](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/island/) [Island Coincidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/island-coincidence-944819/) [Last Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-days/) [Napoleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/napoleon/) [Napoleon Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/napoleon-written-944817/) [Small Island](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-island-662487/) [Student Napoleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/student-napoleon-944818/)

## Related quotes

> [A thrumming of piano-strings beyond the gardens and through the elms. At length the melody steals into my being. I know not when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-thrumming-of-piano-strings-beyond-the-gardens-and-through-the-elms/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Napoleon: You have written this huge book on the system of the world without once mentioning the author of the universe. Laplace: Sire, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-simon-laplace/napoleon-you-have-written-this-huge-book-on-the-system-of-the-world/)

[Pierre-Simon Laplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-simon-laplace/)

> [Boredom can be a lethal thing on a small island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/boredom-can-be-a-lethal-thing-on-a-small-island/)

[Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/)

> [For me when I was growing up, some of the happiest times were when we went to a small island called Nantucket off Massachusetts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/for-me-when-i-was-growing-up-some-of-the-happiest-times-were-when-we/)

[Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/)

> [Because I am so intensely identified with opinion and analysis and contextualization, I think I just need, for my own psychological benefit, a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-olbermann/because-i-am-so-intensely-identified-with-opinion-and-analysis-and/)

[Keith Olbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-olbermann/)

> [Antigua has 365 beaches, one for each day of the year, which I think is rather unique for such a small island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-richards/antigua-has-365-beaches-one-for-each-day-of-the-year-which-i-think-is/)

[Viv Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-richards/)

> [One of the most magical places on Earth is a small island in the Caribbean called Mustique. With brilliant beaches, warm water, and lush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-garcia/one-of-the-most-magical-places-on-earth-is-a-small-island-in-the/)

[Nina Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-garcia/)

> [“Just out of sight around a bend in the river there's always a small island full of magic and mystery just waiting for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-leckman/just-out-of-sight-around-a-bend-in-the-river-there-s-always-a-small/)

[Neil Leckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-leckman/)

> [It's funny, but we were living on this small island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina when I was 9](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lucas/it-s-funny-but-we-were-living-on-this-small-island-off-the-coast-of/)

[Josh Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lucas/)

> [Every summer I sail to a small island called Cavallo, which lies between Sardinia and Corsica.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-d-acampo/every-summer-i-sail-to-a-small-island-called-cavallo-which-lies/)

[Gino D'Acampo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-d-acampo/)

> [We may be a small island, but we are not a small people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-heath/we-may-be-a-small-island-but-we-are-not-a-small-people/)

[Edward Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-heath/)

> [“Art school is a small island of acceptance in a vast sea of disinterest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-orland/art-school-is-a-small-island-of-acceptance-in-a-vast-sea-of/)

[Ted Orland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-orland/)

> [I grew up on such a small island, and professional theater seemed so far away. I never, ever thought I'd get so lucky to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-barks/i-grew-up-on-such-a-small-island-and-professional-theater-seemed-so/)

[Samantha Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-barks/)

> [I come from the small island of Antigua and I always wanted to write; I just didn't know that it was possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-come-from-the-small-island-of-antigua-and-i-always-wanted-to-write/)

[Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/)

> [In midmost of the stream, embraced in the weir's shimmering arm-spread, a small island lay anchored, fringed close with willow and silver birch and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/in-midmost-of-the-stream-embraced-in-the-weir-s-shimmering-arm-spread/)

[Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/)

## More by Akutagawa Ryunosuke

> [“It is important-even necessary-for us to become acutely aware of the fact that we can't trust ourselves. The only ones you can trust to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akutagawa-ryunosuke/it-is-important-even-necessary-for-us-to-become-acutely-aware-of-the/)

[Akutagawa Ryūnosuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akutagawa-ryunosuke/)

[Explore all 2 Akutagawa Ryunosuke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akutagawa-ryunosuke/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“While still a student, Napoleon had written on the last page of his geography book: \"St. Helena. Small island.\" This may have been what we call a coincidence, but the thought must certainly have aroused terror in him in his last days.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Akutagawa Ryunosuke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akutagawa-ryunosuke/while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-written-on-the-last-page-of-his/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akutagawa-ryunosuke/while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-written-on-the-last-page-of-his/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/akutagawa-ryunosuke-79323_books_while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-writt_2489013.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/akutagawa-ryunosuke-79323_books_while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-writt_2489013.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/akutagawa-ryunosuke-79323_books_while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-writt_2489013.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“While still a student, Napoleon had written on the last page of his geography book: \"St. Helena. Small…” — Akutagawa Ryunosuke",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Akutagawa Ryunosuke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akutagawa-ryunosuke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“While still a student, Napoleon had...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akutagawa-ryunosuke/while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-written-on-the-last-page-of-his/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akutagawa-ryunosuke/while-still-a-student-napoleon-had-written-on-the-last-page-of-his/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
