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460498b
|
There comes an hour when protest no longer suffices; after philosophy there must be action; the strong hand finishes what the idea has sketched.
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les-misérables
protest
|
Victor Hugo |
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e0e0c4e
|
Yes, the brutalities of progress are called revolutions. When they are over, this is recognised: that the human race has been harshly treated, but that it has advanced.
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wisdom
inspirational
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
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bb6127d
|
Ecclesiastes names thee Almighty, the Maccabees name thee Creator, the Epistle to the Ephesians names thee Liberty, Baruch names thee Immensity, the Psalms name thee Wisdom and Truth, John names thee Light, the Book of Kings names thee Lord, Exodus names thee Providence, Leviticus Sanctity, Esdras Justice, creation names thee God, man names thee Father; but Solomon names thee Compassion, which is the most beautiful of all thy names.
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god
spiritual
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
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8d29723
|
France is great because she is France.
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les-miz
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
|
ddf0bf4
|
"Hardly had the light been extinguished, when a peculiar trembling began to affect the netting under which the three children lay. It consisted of a multitude of dull scratches which produced a metallic sound, as if claws and teeth were gnawing at the copper wire. This was accompanied by all sorts of little piercing cries. The little five-year-old boy, on hearing this hubbub overhead, and chilled with terror, jogged his brother's elbow; but the elder brother had already shut his peepers, as Gavroche had ordered. Then the little one, who could no longer control his terror, questioned Gavroche, but in a very low tone, and with bated breath:-- "Sir?" "Hey?" said Gavroche, who had just closed his eyes. "What is that?" "It's the rats," replied Gavroche. And he laid his head down on the mat again. The rats, in fact, who swarmed by thousands in the carcass of the elephant, and who were the living black spots which we have already mentioned, had been held in awe by the flame of the candle, so long as it had been lighted; but as soon as the cavern, which was the same as their city, had returned to darkness, scenting what the good story-teller Perrault calls "fresh meat," they had hurled themselves in throngs on Gavroche's tent, had climbed to the top of it, and had begun to bite the meshes as though seeking to pierce this new-fangled trap. Still the little one could not sleep. "Sir?" he began again. "Hey?" said Gavroche. "What are rats?" "They are mice." This explanation reassured the child a little. He had seen white mice in the course of his life, and he was not afraid of them. Nevertheless, he lifted up his voice once more. "Sir?" "Hey?" said Gavroche again. "Why don't you have a cat?" "I did have one," replied Gavroche, "I brought one here, but they ate her." This second explanation undid the work of the first, and the little fellow began to tremble again. The dialogue between him and Gavroche began again for the fourth time:-- "Monsieur?" "Hey?" "Who was it that was eaten?" "The cat." "And who ate the cat?" "The rats." "The mice?" "Yes, the rats." The child, in consternation, dismayed at the thought of mice which ate cats, pursued:-- "Sir, would those mice eat us?" "Wouldn't they just!" ejaculated Gavroche. The child's terror had reached its climax. But Gavroche added:-- "Don't be afraid. They can't get in. And besides, I'm here! Here, catch hold of my hand. Hold your tongue and shut your peepers!"
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|
humor
gavroche
les-mis
les-misérables
rats
horror
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
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2451a45
|
Let us never fear robbers or murderers. They are dangers from without, petty dangers. Let us fear ourselves. Prejudices are the real robbers; vices are the real murderers. The great dangers lie within ourselves. What matters it if something threatens are head or our purse! Let us think only of that which threatens the soul.
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|
quotes-by-the-bishop-in-les-mis
religion-christianity
les-mis
les-misérables
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
|
08425c8
|
Brothers, he who dies here dies in the radiance of the future, and we are entering a tomb all flooded with the dawn.
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les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
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cb37206
|
Et puis, tenez, monsieur Marius,je crois que j'etais un peu amoureuse de vous.
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pontmercy
thénardier
Éponine
marius
les-misérables
last-words
|
Victor Hugo |
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947b23f
|
Joy is the reflex of terror.
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|
les-misérables
terror
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
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3d2a64d
|
So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the century--the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light--are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world;--in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Miserables cannot fail to be of use. HAUTEVILLE HOUSE, 1862. [Translation by Isabel F. Hapgood]
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poverty
political
les-misérables
society
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
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88a9391
|
What greater flood can there be than the flood of ideas? How quickly they submerge all that they set out to destroy, how rapidly do they create terrifying depths?
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|
les-misérables
revolution
|
Victor Hugo |
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cfe30dc
|
Slowly he took out the clothes in which, ten years beforem Cosette had left Montfermeil; first the little dress, then the black scarf, then the great heavy child's shoes Cosette could still almost have worn, so small was her foot, then the vest of very thich fustian, then the knitted petticoat, the the apron with pockets, then the wool stockings.... Then his venerable white head fell on the bed, this old stoical heart broke, his face was swallowed up, so to speak, in Cosette's clothes, and anybody who had passed along the staircase at that moment would have heard irrepressible sobbing.
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|
cosette
inseparable
jean-valjean
les-misérables
crying
sad
|
Victor Hugo |
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ee54a85
|
When you shall have learned to know, and to love, you will still suffer. The day is born in tears. The luminous weep, if only over those in darkness.
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|
suffering
happiness
inspirational
sufffering
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
|
b8723a2
|
Oh! if the good hearts had the fat purses, how much better everything would go!
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|
wealth
goodness
giving
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
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d6c8703
|
"If there is anything terrible, if there exists a reality which surpasses dreams, it is this: to live, to see the sun, to be in full possession of viral force; to possess health and joy; to laugh valiantly; to rush toward a glory which one sees dazzling in front of one; to feel in ones's breast lounges which breath, a heart which beats, a will which reasons; to speak, think, hope, love; to have a mother, to have a wife, to have children, to have the light - and all at once, in the space of a shout, in less than a minute, to sink into an abyss; to fall, to roll, to crush, to be crushed,to see ears of wheat, flowers, leaves, branches; not to be able to catch hold of anything; to feel one's sword useless, men beneath one, horses on top of one; to struggle in vain, since ones bones have been broken by some kick in the darkness; to feel a heel which makes ones's eyes start from their sockets; to bite horses' shoes in one's rage,; to stifle. to yell, to writhe; to be beneath, and to say to one's self, "But just a little while ago I was a living man!" --
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les-miserables-books
les-misérables
quotes
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
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6c3f450
|
...to cause constellations of victories to flash forth at each instant from the zenith of the centuries, to make the French Empire a pendant to the Roman Empire, to be the great nation and to give birth to the grand army, to conquer the world twice, by conquest and by dazzling, that is sublime; and what greater thing is there?' 'To be free', said Combeferre.
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hugo
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
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b8ec7da
|
Let no one misunderstand our idea; we do not confound what are called 'political opinions' with that grand aspiration after progress with that sublime patriotic, democratic, and human faith, which, in our days, should be the very foundation of all generous intelligence.
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|
politics
les-misérables
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
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c172210
|
Never had the sky been more studded with stars and more charming, the trees more trembling, the odor of the grass more penetrating; never had the birds fallen asleep among the leaves with a sweeter noise; never had all the harmonies of universal serenity responded more thoroughly to the inward music of love; never had Marius been more captivated, more happy, more ecstatic.
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marius
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
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179962a
|
To breathe Paris is to preserve one's soul.
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|
les-misérables
paris
|
Victor Hugo |
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510c3bf
|
"Relegated, as he was, to one corner, and sheltered behind the billiard-table, the soldiers whose eyes were fixed on Enjolras, had not even noticed Grantaire, and the sergeant was preparing to repeat his order: "Take aim!" when all at once, they heard a strong voice shout beside them: "Long live the Republic! I'm one of them." Grantaire had risen. The immense gleam of the whole combat which he had missed, and in which he had had no part, appeared in the brilliant glance of the transfigured drunken man. He repeated: "Long live the Republic!" crossed the room with a firm stride and placed himself in front of the guns beside Enjolras. "Finish both of us at one blow," said he. And turning gently to Enjolras, he said to him: "Do you permit it?" Enjolras pressed his hand with a smile. This smile was not ended when the report resounded.
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les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
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3e49275
|
The scaffold is the accomplice of the executioner; it devours, it eats flesh, it drinks blood; the scaffold is a sort of monster fabricated by the judge and the carpenter, a spectre which seems to live with a horrible vitality composed of all the death which it has inflicted.
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les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
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4cea09c
|
L'istinto di Cosette cercava un padre, come quello di Valjean cercava un figlio, e incontrarsi, per essi, significo trovarsi; nel momento misterioso in cui le loro mani s'incontrarono, si saldarono. Quando quelle due anime si scorsero, riconobbero di essere ciascuna quel che abbisognava all'altra e s'abbracciarono strettamente.
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|
i-miserabili
italiano
les-misérables
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
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7181e31
|
If they had had a different neighbour, one less sel-absorbed and more concerned for others, a man of normal, charitable instincts, their desperate state would not have gone unnoticed, their distress-signals would have been heard, and perhaps they would have been rescued by now. Certainly they appeared utterly depraved, corrupt, vile and odious; but it is rare for those who have sunk so low not to be degraded in the process, and there comes a point, moreover, where the unfortunate and the infamous are grouped together, merged in a single, fateful world. They are les miserables - the outcasts, the underdogs. And who is to blame? Is it not the most fallen who have most need for charity?
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compassion
les-misérables
neighbour
|
Victor Hugo |
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d6572f8
|
"The barber ran to the broken window, and saw Gavroche, who was running with all his might towards the Saint Jean market. On passing the barber's shop, Gavroche, who had the two children on his mind, could not resist the desire to bid him "good day", and had sent a stone through his sash. "See!" screamed the barber, who from white had become blue, "he makes mischief. What has anybody done to this Gamin?"
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humor
les-mis
les-misérables
miserable
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
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5977bc3
|
I will weep with you over the children of kings, provided that you will weep with me over the children of the people
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|
les-misérables
revolution
|
Victor Hugo |
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c7d6317
|
[He] had to submit to the fate of every newcomer in a small town, where many tongues talk but few heads think.
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|
les-misérables
small-town
|
Victor Hugo |
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9b44634
|
Twby lh mn `bd r'y `ywb nfsh fqwmh, wr'y `wb lns f'GDy `nh, wr'y lDll wlkfr fst`n bllh `ly mfyh lkhyr wlmnf`@
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|
البؤساء
les-misérables
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
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45b5f19
|
He was troubled; this brain, so limpid in its blindness, had lost its transparency; there was a cloud in this crystal.
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|
depression
javert
inner-conflict
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
|
103a7cc
|
Tatkala semesta menciut menjadi sesosok makhluk, tatkala sesosok makhluk meluas bahkan sampai menjangkau Tuhan, maka itulah cinta.
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|
les-misérables
victor-hugo
|
Victor Hugo |
|
394a314
|
The night was starless and very dark. Without doubt, in the gloom some mighty angel was standing, with outstretched wings, awaiting the soul.
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death
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
|
49d7600
|
If no one loved, the sun would go out.
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|
love
les-misérables
sun
|
Victor Hugo |
|
7f1faae
|
In the chaos of sentiments and passions which defend a barricade, there is something of everything; there is bravery, youth, honor, enthusiasm, the ideal, conviction, the eager fury of the gamester, and above all, intervals of hope.
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|
passion
youth
hope
enthusiasm
les-misérables
honor
|
Victor Hugo |
|
579cd08
|
A bird alone could have extricated himself from that place.
|
|
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
|
b6bdb95
|
Cosette, by learning that she was beautiful, lost the grace of not knowing it; an exquisite grace, for beauty heightened by artlessness is ineffable, and nothing is so adorable as dazzling innocence, going on her way, and holding in her hand, all unconsciousness, the key of a paradise.
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|
les-misérables
grace
innocence
|
Victor Hugo |
|
0f10c18
|
Love is a fault; be it so. Fantine was innocence floating upon the surface of this fault.
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|
love
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
|
fe83fc9
|
Oh, implacable march of human societies! Oh, losses of men and of souls on the way! Ocean into which falls all that the law lets slip! Disastrous absence of help! Oh, moral death! The sea is the inexorable social night into which the penal laws fling their condemned. The sea is the immensity of wretchedness. The soul, going down stream in this gulf, may become a corpse. Who shall resuscitate it?
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|
les-misérables
society
|
Victor Hugo |
|
04bf187
|
"So far as Louis XVI. was concerned, I said `no.' I did not think that I had the right to kill a man; but I felt it my duty to exterminate evil. I voted the end of the tyrant, that is to say, the end of prostitution for woman, the end of slavery for man, the end of night for the child. In voting for the Republic, I voted for that. I voted for fraternity, concord, the dawn. I have aided in the overthrow of prejudices and errors. The crumbling away of prejudices and errors causes light. We have caused the fall of the old world, and the old world, that vase of miseries, has become, through its upsetting upon the human race, an urn of joy." "Mixed joy," said the Bishop. "You may say troubled joy, and to-day, after that fatal return of the past, which is called 1814, joy which has disappeared! Alas! The work was incomplete, I admit: we demolished the ancient regime in deeds; we were not able to suppress it entirely in ideas. To destroy abuses is not sufficient; customs must be modified. The mill is there no longer; the wind is still there." "You have demolished. It may be of use to demolish, but I distrust a demolition complicated with wrath." "Right has its wrath, Bishop; and the wrath of right is an element of progress. In any case, and in spite of whatever may be said, the French Revolution is the most important step of the human race since the advent of Christ. Incomplete, it may be, but sublime. It set free all the unknown social quantities; it softened spirits, it calmed, appeased, enlightened; it caused the waves of civilization to flow over the earth. It was a good thing. The French Revolution is the consecration of humanity." --
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|
history
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |
|
37f45ec
|
He thought of that heroic Colonel Pontmercy . . . who had left upon every field of victory in Europe drops of that same blood which he, Marius, had in his veins, who had grown grey before his time in discipline and in command, who had lived with his sword-belt buckled, his epaulets falling on his breast, his cockade blackened by powder, his forehead wrinkled by the cap, in the barracks, in the camp, in the bivouac, in the ambulance, and who after twenty years had returned from the great wars with his cheek scarred, his face smiling, simple, tranquil, admirable, pure as a child, having done everything for France and nothing against her.
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|
war
heroes
les-misérables
father-and-son
hero
|
Victor Hugo |
|
791c7af
|
Vi sono cose che non si deve neppure tentare di dipingere: il sole e fra queste.
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|
les-misérables
|
Victor Hugo |