“I am not here to be happy.”

Original: Je ne suis pas venu ici pour être heureux. — The statement reflects Rimbaud’s austere view of expatriate life as work and survival rather than pleasure. · Letter to his family from Aden, 1880s (French)

• Acceptance
• Travel
• Work

“Do not be so frightened; be patient too, take care of yourself, take courage.”

Original: Ne t’effraie pas tant, prends patience aussi, soigne-toi, prends courage. — Even while gravely ill himself, Rimbaud offers his sister practical encouragement and courage. · Letter to Isabelle Rimbaud, 17 June 1891 (French)

• Care
• Courage
• Patience

“I have a horror of all professions.”

Original: J’ai horreur de tous les métiers. — Rimbaud rejects conventional occupation as an imposed social structure rather than a meaningful vocation. · A Season in Hell, Bad Blood, 1873 (French)

• Freedom
• Occupation
• Work