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 stand can be made against invasion by an army; no stand can be made against invasion by an idea.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Ideas are powerful and cannot be stopped by physical force.
Victor Hugo highlights the concept that while armies can be resisted through military action, the influence of an idea is much more profound and cannot be countered through force. Ideas have the ability to change societies, inspire movements, and instigate revolutions, underlining their enduring power in shaping human history and thought, transcending mere physical confrontation.
Themes
IdeasPowerInfluenceInvasionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about creativity and innovation, this quote emphasizes the importance of ideas over traditional competition.
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.
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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!
Victor HugoRead
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He found himself still with too many questions and not enough answers.
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Anything one does every day is important and imposing and anywhere one lives is interesting and beautiful.
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