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
What matters deafness of the ear, when the mind hears? The one true deafness, the incurable deafness, is that of the mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True deafness comes from an inability to understand or accept ideas, not from physical hearing loss.
In this quote, Victor Hugo emphasizes that the greatest limitation we can have is not the inability to hear sounds with our ears, but rather the inability to comprehend or engage with thoughts and ideas in our minds. He suggests that a closed mind is a far more significant barrier to personal growth and understanding than physical deafness, as it prevents us from truly connecting with the world around us.
Themes
DeafnessMindUnderstandingHearingAcceptance
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming life's challenges.
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.
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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 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.
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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.
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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