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Earth Quote by Victor Hugo

“Let us not, however, exaggerate our power. Whatever man does, the great lines of creation persist; the supreme mass does not depend on man. He has power over the detail, not over the whole. And it is right that this should be so. The Whole is providential. Its laws pass over our head. What we do…” quote by Victor Hugo
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““Let us not, however, exaggerate our power. Whatever man does, the great lines of creation persist; the supreme mass does not depend on man. He has power over the detail, not over the whole. And it is right that this should be so. The Whole is providential. Its laws pass over our head. What we do goes no farther than the surface. Man clothes or unclothes the earth; clearing a forest is like taking off a garment. But to slow down the rotation of the globe on its axis, to accelerate the course of the globe on its orbit, to add or subtract a fathom on he earth's daily journey of 718,000 leagues around the sun, to modify the precession of the equinoxes, to eliminate one drop of rain--never! What is on high remains on high. Man can change the climate, but not the seasons Just try and make the moon revolve anywhere but in the ecliptic! Dreamers, some of them illustrious, have dreamed of restoring perpetual spring to the earth. The extreme seasons, summer and winter, are produced by the excess of the inclination of the earth's axis over the place of the ecliptic of which we have just spoken. In order to eliminate the seasons it would be necessary only to straighten this axis. Nothing could be simpler. Just plant a stake on the Pole and drive it in to the center of the globe; attach a chain to it; find a base outside the earth; have 10 billion teams, each of 10 billion horses, and get them to pull. THe axis will straighten up, ad you will have your spring. As you can see, an easy task. We must look elsewhere for Eden. Spring is good; but freedom and justice are beter. Eden is moral, not material. To be free and just depends on ourselves.””

Victor Hugo

About This Quote

Source Essay: The Limits of Human Power, Victor Hugo, 1865

Human influence is limited to surface details; grand natural forces and cosmic order remain beyond our control, urging humility and focus on justice.

In simple terms: Man can change details, not the whole.

Key Takeaway

Focus on justice, not impossible feats.

Themes

humility justice human limitation

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

  • policy making
  • environmental activism
  • education reform
  • personal ethics

Key Concepts

cosmology environmental ethics political philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we balance humility with progress?
  • What actions truly affect justice?
A Different Perspective

May underestimate human ingenuity.

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