The Best Part of Books is the Memorable Statements...

For those of you with good memories (and I know that some of you do have those handy things), you will remember that a few months ago, I promised on my brother’s blog to post some quotes from “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo, and now they are here at last. I know it’s a different blog, but after all, his is supposed to be computer information, not a literary society. Hope you enjoy…

“…one can no more pray too much than love too much.”

“In passing, we might say that success is a hideous thing. Its false similarity to merit deceives men.”

“Because things are unpleasant…that is no reason for being unjust toward God.”

“The true division of humanity is this: the luminous and the dark. To diminish the number of the dark, to increase the number of the luminous, there is the aim. That is why we cry: education, knowledge! To learn to read is to kindle a fire: every syllable spelled sparkles. But whoever says light does not necessarily say joy. There is suffering in the light; an excess burns. Flame is hostile to the wing. To burn and yet to fly, this is the miracle of genius. When you know and when you love, you will still suffer. The day dawns in tears. The luminous weep, be it only over the dark ones.”

(The next few are on Javert, the policeman intent on the capture of the hero, Jean Valjean. At the point that these sections are taken from, he was wrestling between doing his duty and showing mercy. If you want a more thorough bio, Google him.)

"He had a superior...; he had scarcely thought, until today, of that other superior, God.
This new chief, God, he was feeling unawares, and he was perplexed by that.
He had lost his bearings in this unexpected presence; he had no idea what to do with this superior; he who was not ignorant of the notion that the subordinate is bound always to yield, that he should neither disobey, nor blame, nor discuss, and that, in presence of a superior who astonishes him too much, the inferior has no resource but resignation.
But how manage to send in his resignation to God?"

"One of his causes for anxiety was that he was compelled to think. The very violence of all these contradictory emotions forced him to it. Thought, an uncommon thing for him, and singularly painful.
There is always a certain amount of internal rebellion in thought; and he was irritated at having it within him."

On Waterloo:

“But what difference does it make to the Infinite? This entire tempest, this vast cloud, this war, then this peace, all of this darkness, do not disturb for one moment the light of that infinite Eye, before which the smallest insect leaping from one blade of grass to another equals the eagle flying from spire to spire among the towers of Notre-Dame.”

“It was the day of Destiny. A power beyond man controlled that day…One, to whom there can be no reply, took it in hand.”

“Whenever immense strength is put forth only to end in immense weakness, it makes men meditate.”

And my personal favorite:

“It is nothing to die; it is horrible not to live.”

Have a great day!
Rebecca