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
One believes others will do what he will do to himself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the belief that people expect others to act towards them as they would act towards themselves.
Victor Hugo's quote emphasizes a fundamental aspect of human morality, suggesting that individuals project their own behaviors and intentions onto others. It speaks to the expectations we form based on our own actions and beliefs, implying that empathy and self-reflection play significant roles in our interactions with others. This idea can lead to both positive and negative outcomes, as it holds the potential for mutual understanding and the risk of disappointment when others do not meet those expectations.
Themes
EmpathyExpectationMoralityBehaviorInteractions
In practice
Example use cases
During a team-building workshop, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of understanding each other's perspectives.
More from Victor Hugo
All quotes βWhen 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 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.
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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.
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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Vast sections of the world's population are inspired by the same desires and live for common interests that bind them together far more than they separate them.
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Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves.
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No man is prejudiced in favor of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its being right; and when he sees it is not so, the prejudice will be gone.
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Religious life is an encounter with the living God. Sometimes that encounter is preceded by a kind of soul-searching agony that tries desperately not to hear, runs in the opposite direction, and frantically tries to reason itself out of answering the invitation.
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But there are no loners. No man lives in a void. His every act is conditioned by his time and his society.
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