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
A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Thinking deeply is a form of work that may not be physically visible.
Victor Hugo emphasizes that mental labor, such as deep thought and contemplation, is just as significant as physical work. He suggests that while some tasks may be outwardly visible, like manual labor, there exists a profound and essential inner work that often goes unrecognized but is crucial for personal and societal development.
Themes
ThoughtLaborInvisibleMindWork
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on creativity, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of mental processes.
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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Talk of the abuses of slavery! Humbug! The thing itself is the essence of all abuse!
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