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
God has made the cat to give man the pleasure of caressing the tiger.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that domesticated animals, like cats, provide a way for humans to experience the thrill of wildness in a safe manner.
In this quote, Victor Hugo metaphorically compares domesticated cats to their wild relatives, tigers, suggesting that the presence of a gentle cat allows people to appreciate and enjoy the allure of a fierce creature without the danger. It reflects on the relationship between humans and animals, highlighting how certain creatures can evoke profound emotions and connections without the inherent risks associated with their wilder counterparts.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of animal companionship.
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.
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.
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 Cosetteβs 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.
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.
Taste is the common sense of genius.
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!
I am dying with the help of too many physicians.
The nature of finite things is to have the seed of their passing-away as their essential being: the hour of their birth is the hour of their death.
We are much beholden to Machiavel and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do.
It is hard to know when we have done enough for the Atonement to change our natures and so qualify us for eternal life. And we don't know how many days we will have to give the service necessary for that mighty change to come. But we know that we will have days enough if only we don't waste them.
In our hyper-secular world, worship is still inevitable. But it is vital to remember that our gods don't choose us, we choose them.
The cause and root of nearly all evils in the sciences is this-that while we falsely admire and extol the powers of the human mind we neglect to seek for its true helps.
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