Let that vile sand which you trample under foot be cast into the furnace, let it melt and seethe there, it will become a splendid crystal, and it is thanks to it that Galileo and Newton will discover stars.
Where these words come from
- Lots of sources credit Victor Hugo with this, and they agree with each other. The book or the speech it first came from hasn't turned up yet.
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135
- Les Misérables; English translation: Isabel F. Hapgood
More from Victor Hugo
See allChange your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.
Victor HugoThough there be night within us, we may still possess the stars.Victor HugoMusic expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.Victor HugoIt is man's consolation that the future is to be a sunrise instead of a sunset.Victor HugoPhilosophy is the microscope of the thought.Victor HugoMysterious exchange of the abysses of the soul with the abysses of the universe!Victor Hugo
Victor HugoThough there be night within us, we may still possess the stars.Victor HugoMusic expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.Victor HugoIt is man's consolation that the future is to be a sunrise instead of a sunset.Victor HugoPhilosophy is the microscope of the thought.Victor HugoMysterious exchange of the abysses of the soul with the abysses of the universe!Victor HugoMore inspiration
See allYou gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
Eleanor RooseveltNo one can make you feel inferior without your consent.Eleanor RooseveltLittle strokes fell great oaks.
Benjamin FranklinEnergy and persistence conquer all things.Benjamin FranklinWell done is better than well said.Benjamin FranklinIf there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Frederick Douglass
Eleanor RooseveltNo one can make you feel inferior without your consent.Eleanor RooseveltLittle strokes fell great oaks.Benjamin FranklinEnergy and persistence conquer all things.Benjamin FranklinWell done is better than well said.Benjamin FranklinIf there is no struggle, there is no progress.Frederick Douglass