Education Quote by Victor Hugo
““Intellectual and moral growth is no less indispensable than material improvement. Knowledge is a viaticum. Though is a prime necessity; truth is nourishment, like wheat. A reasoning faculty, deprived of knowledge and wisdom, pines away. We should feel the same pity for minds that do not eat as for stomachs. If there be anything sadder than a body perishing for want of bread, it is a mind dying of hunger for lack of light. All progress tends toward the solution. Some day, people will be amazed. As the human race ascends, the deepest layers will naturally emerge from the zone of distress. The effacement of wretchedness will be effected by a simple elevation level.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Preface to Les Misérables, 1862
Intellectual and moral development are as essential as material needs; knowledge nourishes the mind like food nourishes the body.
In simple terms: Mind needs knowledge like body needs food.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate learning as a vital sustenance.
Themes
education
morality
human development
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- personal growth
- public policy
- education reform
- healthcare
- social welfare
Key Concepts
knowledge
wisdom
nutritional metaphor
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies prioritize intellectual nourishment?
- What policies foster both material and moral progress?
A Different Perspective
Neglecting intellectual nourishment can lead to societal stagnation.
![“Initially, you grasp [knowledge] through the ‘light’ of the intellect and then the understanding arises, and thereafter a state in which there is absence of anger-pride-deceit-greed and attachment-abhorrence arises.” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/69a/dada-bhagwan-31_anger_initially-you-grasp-knowledge-through-th_2573015.jpg)
