When a man understands the art of seeing, he can trace the spirit of an age and the features of a king even in the knocker on a door.

God has bestowed two gifts on man: hope and ignorance. Ignorance is the better of the two.

Everything Changes. The only thing that remains immovable across the centuries and fixes the character of a people is cooking.

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

A bit of mould is a pleiad of flowers; a nebula is an ant-hill of stars.

I am a soul. I know well that what I shall render up to the grave is not myself. That which is myself will go elsewhere. Earth, thou art not my abyss!

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