William Morris letter to his mother, 1855

 William Morris, 1857, William Morris Gallery

My dear Mother,

I am almost afraid you thought me scarcely in earnest when I told

 you a month or two ago that I did not intend taking Holy Orders.

 . . . You said then, you remember, and said very truly, that it was an 

evil thing to be an idle, objectless man; I am fully determined not

 to incur this reproach; I was so then . . .I wish now to be an archi

tect, an occupation that I have often had hankerings after. . . If I 

were not to follow this occupation, I in truth know not what I should 

follow with any chance of success or hope of happiness in my work.

. . . I shall be master too of a useful trade; one by which I should 

hope to earn money, not altogether precariously, if other things fail.

. . . I will by no means give up things that I have thought of for 

the bettering of the world, in so far as in me lies.

You see I do not hope to be great at all in anything, but perhaps I

 may reasonably hope to be happy in my work; and sometimes when  I 

am idle and doing nothing, pleasant visions go past me of the things 

that may be. . .

My best love to yourself, and Henrietta, and Aunt,  and all of them:  

                                                                                 Your affectionate son, 

Exeter College, Oxford,                                                                 William

November 11, 1855

His letter can be found in 'A Victorian Rebel' by Lloyd Wendell Eshleman. I read it and wanted to share it with you. I love how you can read the words and thoughts of a 21 year old university student describing his hopes and fears to his mother. I wonder if Mr. Morris had any idea that he would inevitably become an immortal genius?