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A great artist is a great man in a great child.
Victor Hugo
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Interpretation

What this quote means

A great artist embodies the purity and creativity of a child while maintaining the depth and responsibility of an adult.

This quote by Victor Hugo suggests that true artistry combines the imaginative and uninhibited nature of childhood with the wisdom and experience that come with adulthood. It implies that great artists are able to tap into their inner child, allowing them to create work that is both profound and original, reflecting the best qualities of both stages of life.

Themes

ArtistCreativityChildhoodWisdomArtistry

In practice

Example use cases

Use this quote when discussing the importance of nurturing creativity in children.

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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.
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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.
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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!
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