Business Quote by Victor Hugo
“I exist," murmurs someone whose name is Everyone. "I'm young and in love; I am old and I want rest; I work, I prosper, I do good business, I have houses to rent, money in State Securities; I am happy, I have wife and children; I like all these things and I want to go on living, so leave me alone."... There are moments when all this casts a deep chill on the large-minded pioneers of the human race.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, 1862
The speaker feels burdened by life's responsibilities and desires peace, reflecting existential fatigue despite material success.
In simple terms: Even successful people can feel exhausted and crave solitude.
Key Takeaway
Respect personal boundaries and seek balance.
Themes
existentialism
burden
solitude
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- career
- family life
- financial management
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
materialism
existential fatigue
social expectation
Questions to Reflect On
- What truly brings you peace?
- How can you balance responsibility with rest?
A Different Perspective
Ignoring inner fatigue can lead to burnout.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)