“Happy, even in anguish, is he to whom God has given a soul worthy of love and of grief!”

— Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (1862), tr. Charles Wilbour

About Victor Hugo

1802 – 1885

French poet and novelist, author of "Les Misérables" and "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame".

“Deeds of daring dazzle history and form one of man's guiding lights.”

“When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age.”

“One resists the invasion of armies; one does not resist the invasion of ideas.”

“Something the heart must have to cherish, must love and joy and sorrow learn.”

“But love for an object eternal and infinite feeds the mind with joy alone, and a joy which is free from all sorrow.”

“Grief at the absence of a loved one is happiness compared to life with a person one hates.”

“Love the little trade which thou hast learned, and be content therewith.”

“They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.”

“Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly.”