---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One can say that Javert is our…"
description: "\"“One can say that Javert is our conscience. The ever lurking presence of the law and our own condemnation. The tension between who we were and who we a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/cristiane-serruya-12079_ethics_one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscienc_134710.jpg"
---

#  One can say that Javert is our conscience. The ever…

![“One can say that Javert is our conscience. The ever lurking presence of the law and our own condemnation. The tension between who we were and who we are and who we can be. Javert represents that inescapable, shameful past that forever haunts and persues one's conscience. Javert is the man of the…” quote by Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/cristiane-serruya-12079_ethics_one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscienc_134710.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/cristiane-serruya-12079_ethics_one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscienc_134710.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/cristiane-serruya-12079_ethics_one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscienc_134710.jpg)

> ““One can say that Javert is our conscience. The ever lurking presence of the law and our own condemnation. The tension between who we were and who we are and who we can be. Javert represents that inescapable, shameful past that forever haunts and persues one's conscience. Javert is the man of the law, and... There are no surprises with the law. The principle of retribution is simple and monotonous, like Euclidean logic. It's closed to all alternatives and shut up against divine or human intervention... Indeed, Javert represents the merciless application of the law, the blind Justice that in the end is befuddled by hope and the possibility of redemption without punishment.””

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Javert embodies relentless law, a rigid conscience haunted by past and unforgiving, yet challenged by hope and redemption.

**In simple terms:** Javert is strict law, haunted by past, challenged by hope.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the limits of rigid justice.

Themes

law conscience redemption hope justice

Mood

somber thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- courtroom
- personal guilt
- social reform

Key Concepts

moral absolutism inner conflict

Questions to Reflect On

- Can justice be both firm and merciful?
- What happens when conscience meets hope?

A Different Perspective

Law can be inflexible and ignore compassion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Conscience Javert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience-javert-1536214/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Intervention Javert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intervention-javert-1536216/) [Javert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/javert-96308/) [Javert Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/javert-conscience-1536213/) [Javert Represents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/javert-represents-1536215/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Les-miserables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/les-mis-rables/) [Retribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retribution/)

## Related quotes

> [“In his most thrilling military victory to date, Napoleon had defeated an Ottoman force eighteen thousand men strong at Aboukir. It had been Javert’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-brickl/in-his-most-thrilling-military-victory-to-date-napoleon-had-defeated/)

[Kelsey Brickl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-brickl/)

> [“Youth is as easily wasted as a fine wine consumed by a drunken man. There is no poetry in aging, and Javert lived out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-brickl/youth-is-as-easily-wasted-as-a-fine-wine-consumed-by-a-drunken-man/)

[Kelsey Brickl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-brickl/)

> [“There was no justice in rebellion. This Javert had come to believe after seeing Marseille fall headfirst into the abyss of the revolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-brickl/there-was-no-justice-in-rebellion-this-javert-had-come-to-believe/)

[Kelsey Brickl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-brickl/)

> [“Fire on the cavalry!” cried an officer from behind them. Javert raised his musket and glared with one open eye at the approaching horde.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-brickl/fire-on-the-cavalry-cried-an-officer-from-behind-them-javert-raised/)

[Kelsey Brickl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-brickl/)

> [“Sometimes a revolution turns into an actual government, or at the very least an actual way of life that contrasts with days past like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-brickl/sometimes-a-revolution-turns-into-an-actual-government-or-at-the-very/)

[Kelsey Brickl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-brickl/)

> [“Praying to the Almighty, Javert?” called a voice, and Javert opened his eyes to see Rousseau and Leclerc smirking at him. Javert tipped his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-brickl/praying-to-the-almighty-javert-called-a-voice-and-javert-opened-his/)

[Kelsey Brickl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-brickl/)

> [“Inspector Javert, conscience is a higher law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-valjean/inspector-javert-conscience-is-a-higher-law/)

[Jean Valjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-valjean/)

> [“To be granite and to doubt! To be the statue of Chastisement cast in one piece in the mould of the law, and suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/to-be-granite-and-to-doubt-to-be-the-statue-of-chastisement-cast-in/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“In the moment when the eyes of the two men met, Javert, without having moved or made the least gesture, became hideous. No human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/in-the-moment-when-the-eyes-of-the-two-men-met-javert-without-having/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the barricade Is there a world you long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/will-you-join-in-our-crusade-who-will-be-strong-and-stand-with-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Javert, though hideous, was not ignoble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/javert-though-hideous-was-not-ignoble/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“Let us never fear robbers or murderers. They are dangers from without, petty dangers. Let us fear ourselves. Prejudices are the real robbers; vices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/let-us-never-fear-robbers-or-murderers-they-are-dangers-from-without/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“And remember, the truth that once was spoken: To love another person is to see the face of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-remember-the-truth-that-once-was-spoken-to-love-another-person-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Yes, the brutalities of progress are called revolutions. When they are over, this is recognized: that the human race has been harshly treated, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/yes-the-brutalities-of-progress-are-called-revolutions-when-they-are/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“When the nettle is young, the leaves make excellent greens; when it grows old it has filaments and fibers like hemp and flax. Cloth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/when-the-nettle-is-young-the-leaves-make-excellent-greens-when-it/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

## More by Cristiane Serruya

> [“Sophia, you’re the best thing that could have happened to Alistair. I’ve never seen him happier than he is now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/sophia-you-re-the-best-thing-that-could-have-happened-to-alistair-i/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“Love is not about oneself, but about the other. It's not about keeping, but about freeing. Love is not love if not shared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/love-is-not-about-oneself-but-about-the-other-it-s-not-about-keeping/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“I believe in witches, Sophia,” his deep voice hypnotized her. “I hope you don’t burn me at the stake,” she murmured to him. “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/i-believe-in-witches-sophia-his-deep-voice-hypnotized-her-i-hope-you/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“You don't have to thank me. Ever. You're my wife and I want to share everything with you. Every little thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/you-don-t-have-to-thank-me-ever-you-re-my-wife-and-i-want-to-share/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“It was like the sun had appeared again in my life, Sophia, You. You changed everything when you stepped into that room. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/it-was-like-the-sun-had-appeared-again-in-my-life-sophia-you-you/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“In truth, his most ardent fantasy was to hear her saying the three words he had repeated so often already. I love you .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/in-truth-his-most-ardent-fantasy-was-to-hear-her-saying-the-three/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“It was all about money. Dirty, bloody money. It can come and go so easily. They don't see that life is what's important. Love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/it-was-all-about-money-dirty-bloody-money-it-can-come-and-go-so/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“Maybe you're starting to move on, my love. But to fully do it, you have to let the guilt go. Gabriel will always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/maybe-you-re-starting-to-move-on-my-love-but-to-fully-do-it-you-have/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“Sophia is worth a change. I have to make the right choices from now on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/sophia-is-worth-a-change-i-have-to-make-the-right-choices-from-now-on/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“Don't cry. She wouldn't like it. When I missed my father, I used to cry. Mama taught me when I cry, he is sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/don-t-cry-she-wouldn-t-like-it-when-i-missed-my-father-i-used-to-cry/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words. Just because it is peaceful, it doesn’t mean it is still and void, as a few may think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/sometimes-silence-speaks-louder-than-words-just-because-it-is/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“As a rule, people tend to forget the most important things in life when money, power and lust are involved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/as-a-rule-people-tend-to-forget-the-most-important-things-in-life/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“No matter how hard she tried to maintain her calm and collected persona, she knew it was all a ruse. All she wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/no-matter-how-hard-she-tried-to-maintain-her-calm-and-collected/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“Nonetheless, risk is a part of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/nonetheless-risk-is-a-part-of-life/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

> [“A mirror does not exist by itself. A mirror is a half. Half is done by the piece. The other half has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/a-mirror-does-not-exist-by-itself-a-mirror-is-a-half-half-is-done-by/)

[Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

[Explore all 56 Cristiane Serruya quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/)

## More Conscience quotes

> [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/)

[Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/)

> [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/)

[Rabelaise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabelaise/)

> [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/)

[Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/)

> [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/)

[Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/)

> [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/)

[Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/)

> [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/)

[Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/)

> [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

> [My morals are important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/my-morals-are-important-to-me/)

[Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/)

> [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/)

[Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/)

> [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

> [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/)

[Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/)

> [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/)

[Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/)

[Browse all 3,490 Conscience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“One can say that Javert is our conscience. The ever lurking presence of the law and our own condemnation. The tension between who we were and who we are and who we can be. Javert represents that inescapable, shameful past that forever haunts and persues one's conscience. Javert is the man of the law, and... There are no surprises with the law. The principle of retribution is simple and monotonous, like Euclidean logic. It's closed to all alternatives and shut up against divine or human intervention... Indeed, Javert represents the merciless application of the law, the blind Justice that in the end is befuddled by hope and the possibility of redemption without punishment.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cristiane Serruya"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscience-the-ever-lurking-presence/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conscience"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscience-the-ever-lurking-presence/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/cristiane-serruya-12079_ethics_one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscienc_134710.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/cristiane-serruya-12079_ethics_one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscienc_134710.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/cristiane-serruya-12079_ethics_one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscienc_134710.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One can say that Javert is our conscience. The ever lurking presence of the law and our own condemnation…” — Cristiane Serruya",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Cristiane Serruya",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“One can say that Javert is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscience-the-ever-lurking-presence/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/one-can-say-that-javert-is-our-conscience-the-ever-lurking-presence/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
