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
What is called honors and dignities, and even honor and dignity, is generally fool's gold.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True honor and dignity are often misrepresented and do not hold real value.
In this quote, Victor Hugo suggests that what society often praises as honor and dignity may be superficial and misleading, referring to them as 'fool's gold.' This notion implies that true worth comes from genuine character and actions, rather than societal accolades or superficial recognition that can often deceive us.
Themes
HonorDignityValueWisdomSuperficial
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on personal values, one might say, 'As Victor Hugo points out, what is called honors can often be just fool's gold.'
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.
Victor HugoRead
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.
Victor HugoRead
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.
Victor HugoRead
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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