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
Whenever a man's friends begin to compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think he is growing old.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Compliments on youthfulness often hint at the opposite truth of aging.
Victor Hugo's quote suggests that when friends start to compliment a man on looking young, it reflects their awareness that he is, in fact, aging. The statement highlights the irony of such compliments, implying that the need to affirm someone's youth often arises from the acknowledgment of their advancing age, creating a complex interplay between perception and reality in social interactions.
Themes
AgingYouthComplimentPerceptionFriendship
In practice
Example use cases
In a farewell speech, someone might use this quote to reflect on their growing age and the perceptions of their peers.
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
For life: it is rather a determination not to be overwhelmed. For work: the truth can only be recalled, never invented.
Marilyn MonroeRead
If you fixate on the worst-case scenario and it actually happens, you’ve lived it twice.
Michael J. FoxRead
Realizing that we've surrendered our self-esteem to others and choosing to be accountable for our own self-worth would mean absorbing the terrifying fact that we're always vulnerable to pain and loss.
Martha BeckRead
A little too much anger, too often or at the wrong time, can destroy more than you would ever imagine.
Marilynne RobinsonRead
When you choose your attitude toward life, you can affect reality by making it better for you
Paulo CoelhoRead
But my lord, when we addressed this issue a few years ago, didn't you argue the other side?" He said, "That's true, but when I get more evidence I sometimes change my mind. What do you do?
John Maynard KeynesRead