It seemed to be a necessary ritual that he should prepare himself for sleep by meditating under the solemnity of the night sky... a mysterious transaction between the infinity of the soul and the infinity of the universe.
Victor HugoRead
It is not so easy to keep silent when the silence is a lie.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Silence can be deceptive, especially when it hides the truth.
This quote by Victor Hugo emphasizes the moral dilemma of choosing silence when it contradicts the truth. It suggests that staying quiet in the face of dishonesty or injustice is not an easy decision, as it can lead to complicity in the lie, highlighting the ethical responsibility to speak out against falsehoods.
Themes
SilenceTruthLieEthical ResponsibilityInjustice
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on social justice, one might use this quote to encourage people to speak up against wrongdoing.
More from Victor Hugo
All quotes →When two mouths, made sacred by love, draw near to each other to create, it is impossible, that above that ineffable kiss there should not be a thrill in the immense mystery of the stars.
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At that moment of love, a moment when passion is absolutely silent under omnipotence of ecstasy, Marius, pure seraphic Marius, would have been more capable of visiting a woman of the streets than of raising Cosette’s dress above the ankle. Once on a moonlit night, Cosette stopped to pick up something from the ground, her dress loosened and revealed the swelling of her breasts. Marius averted his eyes.
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Thought is the work of the intellect, reverie is its self-indulgence. To substitute day-dreaming for thought is to confuse a poison with a source of nourishment.
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Taste is the common sense of genius.
Victor HugoRead
Forget not, never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become an honest man.... Jean Valjean, my brother: you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!
Victor HugoRead
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