--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to do something…" description: "\"“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 watch for it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/louisa-may-alcott-318_heroic_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_465063.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 don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.” quote by Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/louisa-may-alcott-318_heroic_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_465063.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/louisa-may-alcott-318_heroic_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_465063.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/louisa-may-alcott-318_heroic_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_465063.png) > ““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 watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.”” [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. Expresses a yearning to achieve lasting, heroic deeds that will be remembered after death. **In simple terms:** Desire for meaningful legacy. Key Takeaway Pursue purposeful actions. Themes ambition legacy heroism Mood inspirational hopeful determined Type novel excerpt personal manifesto literary When to use this quote - career planning - volunteer work - artistic projects Key Concepts personal growth social impact creative expression Questions to Reflect On - What lasting impact do you wish to leave? - How can everyday actions become heroic? A Different Perspective May romanticize fame over modest contributions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) [Splendid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid/) ## Related quotes > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-want-to-do-something-splendid-something-heroic-or-wonderful-that-2/) [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/) > [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/) > [If woman had no existence save in the fiction written by men, one would imagine her a person of utmost importance; very various; heroic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/if-woman-had-no-existence-save-in-the-fiction-written-by-men-one/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Jo's ambition was to do something very splendid; what it was she had no idea, as yet, but left it for time to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/jo-s-ambition-was-to-do-something-very-splendid-what-it-was-she-had-2/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“something very splendid. What it was, she had no idea as yet, but”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/something-very-splendid-what-it-was-she-had-no-idea-as-yet-but/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > […what splendid dreams young people build upon a word, and how bitter is the pain when the bright bubbles burst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/what-splendid-dreams-young-people-build-upon-a-word-and-how-bitter-is/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Do not be afraid of your difficulties.Do not wish you could be in other circumstances than you are. For when you have made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-afraid-of-your-difficulties-do-not-wish-you-could-be-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What a splendid time Woo must have had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/what-a-splendid-time-woo-must-have-had/) [Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/) > [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Science and art may invent splendid modes of illuminating the apartments of the opulent; but these are all poor and worthless compared with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/science-and-art-may-invent-splendid-modes-of-illuminating-the/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [Now when the primrose makes a splendid show, And lilies face the March-winds in full blow, And humbler growths as moved with one desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/now-when-the-primrose-makes-a-splendid-show-and-lilies-face-the-march/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“It is splendid—to be—loved! If we only—can—live up—to the thoughts—of us—by them—that love us!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/it-is-splendid-to-be-loved-if-we-only-can-live-up-to-the-thoughts-of/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Give me, indulgent gods with mind serene, And guiltless heart, to range the sylvan scene, No splendid poverty, no smiling care, No well-bred hate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/give-me-indulgent-gods-with-mind-serene-and-guiltless-heart-to-range/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) ## 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 Heroic quotes > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [The truth is always more heroic than the hype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lynch/the-truth-is-always-more-heroic-than-the-hype/) [Jessica Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lynch/) > [Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to procrastination, and many studies suggest that procrastinators are self-handicappers: rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating-with-unrealistic-dreams-of/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [“The Coward will run away from danger, only to strike in the dark. The Heroine will run through the dark, even though she knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-cleinman/the-coward-will-run-away-from-danger-only-to-strike-in-the-dark-the/) David A. Cleinman > [All progress in literary style lies in the heroic resolve to cast aside accretions and exuberances, all the conventions of a past age that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-progress-in-literary-style-lies-in-the-heroic-resolve-to-cast/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [“Admitting we're not heroic is when we're the most heroic of all”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorian-scrubs/admitting-we-re-not-heroic-is-when-we-re-the-most-heroic-of-all/) [John Dorian- scrubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorian-scrubs/) > [But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-holden/but-despite-their-heroic-acts-the-vietnam-veterans-of-america/) [Tim Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-holden/) > [I was hugely impressed... was the ultimate example of a man who knew what he didn't know, was perfectly willing to admit it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/i-was-hugely-impressed-was-the-ultimate-example-of-a-man-who-knew/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [Yet only the atrocities of the conquered are referred to as criminal acts; those of the conqueror are justified as necessary, heroic, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fergus/yet-only-the-atrocities-of-the-conquered-are-referred-to-as-criminal/) [Jim Fergus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fergus/) > [There's always something heroic and romantic about taking a stand against the powers that be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/there-s-always-something-heroic-and-romantic-about-taking-a-stand/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [In this watering-place I acted an heroic character, badly studied; and being a novice on such a stage, I forgot my part before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelbert-von-chamisso/in-this-watering-place-i-acted-an-heroic-character-badly-studied-and/) [Adelbert von Chamisso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelbert-von-chamisso/) > [She looked at me. "What? Is there something wrong with my idea?" "It's not very heroic," I said dismissively. "I was expecting something with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/she-looked-at-me-what-is-there-something-wrong-with-my-idea-it-s-not/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Heroism feels and never reasons, and therefore is always right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/heroism-feels-and-never-reasons-and-therefore-is-always-right/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction, clarity, audacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/she-was-fierce-in-the-presence-of-death-heroic-even-as-she-was-at-no/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Find something useful to do with your morning,' she thought to him as she neared her chambers. 'Do something heroic in front of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/find-something-useful-to-do-with-your-morning-she-thought-to-him-as/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) [Browse all 871 Heroic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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 watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louisa May Alcott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-want-to-do-something-splendid-something-heroic-or-wonderful-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heroic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-want-to-do-something-splendid-something-heroic-or-wonderful-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/louisa-may-alcott-318_heroic_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_465063.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/louisa-may-alcott-318_heroic_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_465063.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/louisa-may-alcott-318_heroic_i-want-to-do-something-splendid-somethin_465063.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I want to do something splendid...something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I…” — Louisa May Alcott", "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": "Louisa May Alcott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I want to do something splendid...something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-want-to-do-something-splendid-something-heroic-or-wonderful-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-want-to-do-something-splendid-something-heroic-or-wonderful-that/#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 } } ] } ```