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
War can only be qualified by its object, and there is neither foreign war nor civil war, there is only just or unjust war.
Interpretation
What this quote means
War is defined by its purpose, not by its location or sides.
Victor Hugo's quote emphasizes that the morality of war should be assessed based on its objectives rather than whether it is a foreign conflict or a civil strife. He suggests that distinctions between types of war are irrelevant if the underlying motivations are just or unjust, urging people to consider the ethical implications of warfare regardless of its context.
Themes
WarMoralityJusticePhilosophyEthics
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the ethics of military intervention, you might reference this quote to argue that the motivations behind the war are more important than where it is fought.
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.
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 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.
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
It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble.
EpicurusRead
When you can whip any man in the world, you never know peace.
Muhammad AliRead
To give up your individuality is to annihilate yourself.
Robert Green IngersollRead
The government was set to protect man from criminals, and the Constitution was written to protect man from the government.
Ayn RandRead
When people say, "I know God forgives me, but I can't forgive myself," they mean that they have failed an idol, whose approval is more important than God's.
Timothy KellerRead
Books say: she did this because. Life says: she did this. Books are where things are explained to you, life where things aren't.
Julian BarnesRead