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
In the Twentieth Century war will be dead, the scaffold will be dead, hatred will be dead, frontier boundaries will be dead, dogmas will be dead; man will live. He will possess something higher than all these-a great country, the whole earth, and a great hope, the whole heaven.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that future humanity will rise above the destructive forces of war, hatred, and divisions, embracing hope and unity.
Victor Hugo envisions a future where humanity transcends the chaos of war, hatred, and rigid dogmas, leading to a peaceful existence. In this ideal world, mankind will not be confined by national borders or the fears that traditionally plague society, but will instead evolve to embrace a universal hope and a shared stewardship of the Earth and the heavens.
Themes
WarPeaceHumanityHopeUnity
In practice
Example use cases
During a peace rally, one might quote this to inspire hope for a better future.
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
Similar quotes
THEOSOPHY, n. An ancient faith having all the certitude of religion and all the mystery of science.
Ambrose BierceRead
Remarkably, governments are beginning to embrace the idea that nothing enhances democracy more than giving voice and information to everybody in the country. Why not open their books if they have nothing to hide?
Mo IbrahimRead
I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer.
Brendan BehanRead
The wicked exist in this world either to be converted or that through them the good may exercise patience.
Saint AugustineRead
Grace finds us beggars but leaves us debtors.
Augustus TopladyRead
Don't you know that everybody's got a Fairyland of their own?
P. L. TraversRead