--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to do something splendid……" description: "\"I want to do something splendid… Something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead… I think I shall write books.\" — Louisa May Alcott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/louisa-may-alcott-318_book_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_940969.png" --- # I want to do something splendid… Something heroic or… ![“I want to do something splendid… Something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead… I think I shall write books.” quote by Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/louisa-may-alcott-318_book_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_940969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/louisa-may-alcott-318_book_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_940969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/louisa-may-alcott-318_book_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_940969.png) > “I want to do something splendid… Something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead… I think I shall write books.” [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She as to achieve lasting, heroic deeds, hoping to be remembered after death. **In simple terms:** Seek lasting, heroic impact. Key Takeaway Pursue meaningful, memorable actions. Themes legacy heroism creativity Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing a book - public service - philanthropy - artistic projects Key Concepts self‑actualization artistic ambition mortality Questions to Reflect On - What lasting impact do you desire? - How can you create meaning beyond fame? A Different Perspective Fame can be fleeting; legacy may not guarantee lasting memory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) [Splendid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I want to do something splendid...something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-want-to-do-something-splendid-something-heroic-or-wonderful-that/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'd have a stable full of Arabian steeds, rooms piled with books, and I'd write out of a magic inkstand, so that my works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-d-have-a-stable-full-of-arabian-steeds-rooms-piled-with-books-and-i/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“We want splendid books ... books that prove to us that love is at work in the world next to evil, right up against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-coss/we-want-splendid-books-books-that-prove-to-us-that-love-is-at-work-in/) [Laurence Cossé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-coss/) > [“Sometimes it seems to me that I shall never write out all the books I have in my head, because of the strain. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-it-seems-to-me-that-i-shall-never-write-out-all-the-books-i/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle--something heroic, or wonderful--that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-want-to-do-something-splendid-before-i-go-into-my-castle-something/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Sit down to write what you have thought, and not to think what you shall write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cobbett/sit-down-to-write-what-you-have-thought-and-not-to-think-what-you/) [William Cobbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cobbett/) > [I don't want to write every week, it's too much trouble, and I shall only write when I want something. If you think I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-want-to-write-every-week-it-s-too-much-trouble-and-i-shall/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Tomorrow I shall write something beautiful, something so serene that storms will rise suddenly and protest with ferocious screams. I shall write poems for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonny-k-brown/tomorrow-i-shall-write-something-beautiful-something-so-serene-that/) [Tonny K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonny-k-brown/) > [I shall live badly if I do not write, and I shall write badly if I do not live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-sagan/i-shall-live-badly-if-i-do-not-write-and-i-shall-write-badly-if-i-do/) [Francoise Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-sagan/) > [Then what shall I write? I can't just write that this happened then this happened then this happened to boring infinitum. I'll let my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-almond/then-what-shall-i-write-i-can-t-just-write-that-this-happened-then/) [David Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-almond/) > [If they won't write the kind of books we like to read we shall have to write them ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-they-won-t-write-the-kind-of-books-we-like-to-read-we-shall-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I shall again write to you, or where I shall be tomorrow, I cannot tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolley-madison/when-i-shall-again-write-to-you-or-where-i-shall-be-tomorrow-i-cannot/) [Dolley Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolley-madison/) > [When people talk of the freedom of writing, speaking or thinking I cannot choose but laugh. No such thing ever existed. No such thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/when-people-talk-of-the-freedom-of-writing-speaking-or-thinking-i/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [On the subject of the history of the American Revolution, you ask who shall write it? Who can write it? And who will ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/on-the-subject-of-the-history-of-the-american-revolution-you-ask-who/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I have not always been wrong. History will bear me out, particularly as I shall write that history myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-have-not-always-been-wrong-history-will-bear-me-out-particularly-as/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## More by Louisa May Alcott > [“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/) > [“At three o'clock in the afternoon, all the fashionable world at Nice may be seen on the Promenade des Anglais—a charming place, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/at-three-o-clock-in-the-afternoon-all-the-fashionable-world-at-nice/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Please could I say one word?" was the question three times repeated before a rough head boobed out from the grotto of books in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/please-could-i-say-one-word-was-the-question-three-times-repeated/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Elegance has a bad effect on my constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/elegance-has-a-bad-effect-on-my-constitution/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“…the child's heart bled when it was broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/the-child-s-heart-bled-when-it-was-broken/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“She would make a man of me. She puts strength and courage into me as no one else can. She is unlike any girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/she-would-make-a-man-of-me-she-puts-strength-and-courage-into-me-as/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“I read somewhere that every inch of rope used in the British Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-read-somewhere-that-every-inch-of-rope-used-in-the-british-navy-has/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Chance words spoken in kindness often help amazingly; and that's what old people are here for -- else their experience is of little use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/chance-words-spoken-in-kindness-often-help-amazingly-and-that-s-what/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Tired of my own company, I suppose, now I've seen so much better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/tired-of-my-own-company-i-suppose-now-i-ve-seen-so-much-better/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Oft in the silence of the night, When the lonely moon rides high, When wintry winds are whistling, And we hear the owl's shrill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/oft-in-the-silence-of-the-night-when-the-lonely-moon-rides-high-when/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [But buds will be roses, and kittens, cats - more's the pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/but-buds-will-be-roses-and-kittens-cats-more-s-the-pity/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“I'll try and be what he loves to call me, 'a little woman' and not be rough and wild, but do my duty here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-ll-try-and-be-what-he-loves-to-call-me-a-little-woman-and-not-be/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that’s all that you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/if-you-feel-your-value-lies-in-being-merely-decorative-i-fear-that/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“ "I do not ask for any crown But that which all may win; Nor try to conquer any world Except the world within." ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-do-not-ask-for-any-crown-but-that-which-all-may-win-nor-try-to/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/some-books-are-so-familiar-that-reading-them-is-like-being-home-again/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) [Explore all 681 Louisa May Alcott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) ## More Book 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/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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