Quotes from Victor Hugo

Could the word 'iron' be the root from which 'irony' is derived?

Los que padecéis porque amáis, amad más aún. Morir de amor es vivir

les plus belles années d'une vie sont celles que l'on a pas encore vécues.

Then, turning to his sister: Sister, never a precaution on the part of the priest, against his fellow-man. That which his fellow does, God permits. Let us confine ourselves to prayer, when we think that a danger is approaching us. Let us pray, not for ourselves, but that our brother may not fall into sin on our account.

The soul falls into contemplation before this sanctuary, where the celebration of love is held.

Our joys have shadows. The perfect smile belongs to God alone.

The barber ran to the broken window, and saw Gavroche, who was running with all his might towards the Saint Jean market. On passing the barber's shop, Gavroche, who had the two children on his mind, could not resist the desire to bid him good day, and had sent a stone through his sash. See! screamed the barber, who from white had become blue, he makes mischief. What has anybody done to this Gamin?

The true division of humanity is this: the luminous and the dark. To diminish the number of the dark, to increase the number of the luminous, there is the aim.That is why we cry: education, knowledge! to learn to read is to kindle a fire; every syllable spelled sparkles. But whoever say light does not necessarily say joy. There is suffering in light; an excess burns. Flames is hostile to the wing. To burn and yet to fly, this is the miracle of genius

As we have explained, in first love the soul is taken long before the body; later, the body is taken long before the soul; sometimes the soul is not taken at all.

Dream no small dreams. They have no power to stir the hearts of men.

Memory is a gulf that a word can move to its lowest depths.

So long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless.

It's not enough to abolish abuse; custom must also be transformed. The mill was pulled down, but the wind still blows.

Certainly they appeared utterly depraved, corrupt, vile and odious; but it is rare for those who have sunk so low not to be degraded in the process, and there comes a point, moreover, where the unfortunate and the infamous are grouped together, merged in a single, fateful word. They are les miserables - the outcasts, the underdogs. And who is to blame? Is it not the most fallen who have most need of charity?

I will weep with you over the children of kings, provided that you will weep with me over the children of the people

To attempt, to brave, to persist, and persevere, to be faithful to one's self, to wrestle with destiny, to astound the catastrophe by the slight fear which is causes us, now to confront unjust power, again to insult intoxicated victory, to hold firm and withstand -- such is the example which nations need and the light which electrifies them.

Let us never fear robbers nor murderers. Those are dangers from without, petty dangers. Let us fear ourselves. Prejudices are the real robbers; vices are the real murderers. The great dangers lie within ourselves. What matters it what threatens our head or our purse! Let us think only of that which threatens our soul.

L'amour est une mer dont le femme est la rive.

The reflection of a fact is in itself a fact.

Look down and show some mercy if you can. Look down, look down, upon your fellow man.

Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins. Which of the two has a grander view?

As he spoke all tongues, he entered into all hearts.

There is will in the thought, there is none in the dream. The dream, which is completely spontaneous, takes and keeps, even in the gigantic and the ideal, the form of our mind. Nothing springs more directly and more sincerely from the very bottom of our souls than our unreflected and indefinite aspirations towards the splendours of destiny.

Almost all our desires, when examined, contain something too shameful to reveal.