--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Inside his copy of The Social Contract he…" description: "\"“Inside his copy of The Social Contract he keeps a letter from a young Picard, an enthusiast called Antoine Saint-Just: “I know you, Robespierre, as I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/hilary-mantel-440_inspiration_inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-h_665163.jpg" --- # Inside his copy of The Social Contract he keeps a letter… ![“Inside his copy of The Social Contract he keeps a letter from a young Picard, an enthusiast called Antoine Saint-Just: “I know you, Robespierre, as I know God, by your works.” When he suffers, as he does increasingly, from a distressing tightness of the chest and shortness of breath, and when his…” quote by Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/hilary-mantel-440_inspiration_inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-h_665163.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/hilary-mantel-440_inspiration_inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-h_665163.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/hilary-mantel-440_inspiration_inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-h_665163.jpg) > ““Inside his copy of The Social Contract he keeps a letter from a young Picard, an enthusiast called Antoine Saint-Just: “I know you, Robespierre, as I know God, by your works.” When he suffers, as he does increasingly, from a distressing tightness of the chest and shortness of breath, and when his eyes seem too tired to focus on the printed page, the thought of the letter urges the weak flesh to more Works.”” [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A letter from a youthful revolutionary inspires a weary revolutionary to persist despite physical decline. **In simple terms:** A young revolutionary's letter motivates an older one to keep fighting. Key Takeaway Find inspiration in past ideals to sustain effort during hardship. Themes literature revolution motivation resilience Mood inspirational reflective Type historical motivational When to use this quote - studying history - creative writing - personal reflection - leadership training Key Concepts historical fiction personal resolve mental stamina Questions to Reflect On - What personal symbols can you draw upon when feeling exhausted? - How does historical legacy influence present determination? 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Hinton [Browse all 17,129 Inspiration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Inside his copy of The Social Contract he keeps a letter from a young Picard, an enthusiast called Antoine Saint-Just: “I know you, Robespierre, as I know God, by your works.” When he suffers, as he does increasingly, from a distressing tightness of the chest and shortness of breath, and when his eyes seem too tired to focus on the printed page, the thought of the letter urges the weak flesh to more Works.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Mantel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-he-keeps-a-letter-from-a-young/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspiration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-he-keeps-a-letter-from-a-young/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/hilary-mantel-440_inspiration_inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-h_665163.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/hilary-mantel-440_inspiration_inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-h_665163.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/hilary-mantel-440_inspiration_inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-h_665163.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Inside his copy of The Social Contract he keeps a letter from a young Picard, an enthusiast called Antoine…” — Hilary Mantel", "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": "Hilary Mantel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Inside his copy of The Social...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-he-keeps-a-letter-from-a-young/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/inside-his-copy-of-the-social-contract-he-keeps-a-letter-from-a-young/#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 } } ] } ```