Quotes from Victor Hugo

There is always a patch of blue sky to lovers, although the rest of the world may see nothing but their umbrellas.

From a political point of view, there is but one principle, the sovereignty of man over himself. This sovereignty of myself over myself is called Liberty

The left-handed are precious; they take places which are inconvenient for the rest.

The guillotine is the ultimate expression of Law, and its name is vengeance; it is not neutral, nor does it allow us to remain neutral.

So your desire is to do nothing? Well, you shall not have a week, a day, an hour, free from oppression. You shall not be able to lift anything without agony. Every passing minute will make your muscles crack. What is feather to others will be a rock to you. The simplest things will become difficult. Life will become monstrous about you. To come, to go, to breathe, will be so many terrible tasks for you. Your lungs will feel like a hundred-pound weight.

Marius was of the temperament that sinks into grief and remains there; Cosette was of the sort that plunges in and comes out again.

This will destroy that. The book will kill the edifice.

When the heart is dry the eye is dry.

History has its truth, and so has legend. Legendary truth is of another nature than historical truth. Legendary truth is invention whose result is reality. Furthermore, history and legend have the same goal; to depict eternal man beneath momentary man.

Reality in strong doses frightens.

When a man is out of sight, it is not too long before he is out of mind.

Il dort. Quoique le sort fût pour lui bien étrange, Il vivait. Il mourut quand il n'eut plus son ange. La chose simplement d'elle-même arriva, Comme la nuit se fait lorsque le four s'en va.

I would rather be the head of a fly than the tail of a lion.

Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters.

If you ask the great city, 'Who is this person?,' she will answer, 'He is my child.

Joie est mon caractere, C'est la faute a Voltaire; Misere est mon trousseau C'est la faute a Rousseau. [Joy is my character, 'Tis the fault of Voltaire; Misery is my trousseau 'Tis the fault of Rousseau.] - Gavroche

He had slipped, climbed, rolled, searched, walked, persevered, that is all. Such is the secret of all triumphs.

First problem. To produce wealth. Second problem. To distribute it.

By degrees, however, they began to hope again. Such are our insubmergable mirages of the soul! There is no distress so complete but that even in the most critical moments the inexplicable sunrise of hope is seen in its depths.

Excess of grief, like excess of joy is a violent thing which lasts but a short time. The heart of man cannot remain long in one extremity.

Le suprême bonheur de la vie, c'est la conviction qu'on est aimé; aimé pour soi-même, disons mieux, aimé malgré soi-même.

He who is not master of his own thoughts is not accountable for his own deeds.

La vérité est comme le soleil, elle fait tout voir et ne se laisse pas regarder.

Mother's arms are made of tenderness, and sweet sleep blesses the child who lies within.