Children Quote by Victor Hugo
““While in any other great city the vagabond child is a lost man, while nearly everywhere the child left to itself is, in some sort, sacrificed and abandoned to a kind of fatal immersion in the public vices which devour in him honesty and conscience, the street boy of Paris, we insist on this point, however defaced and injured on the surface, is almost intact on the interior. It is a magnificent thing to put on record, and one which shines forth in the splendid probity of our popular revolutions, that a certain incorruptibility results from the idea which exists in the air of Paris, as salt exists in the water of the ocean.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, 1862
Paris street children retain moral core despite harsh environment, reflecting the city's underlying incorruptibility.
In simple terms: Paris kids stay morally intact despite hardship.
Key Takeaway
Recognize resilience in adverse settings.
Themes
morality
urban life
resilience
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education reform
- youth programs
- community support
- urban policy
Key Concepts
incorruptibility
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does environment shape moral development?
- What supports inner integrity in hardship?
A Different Perspective
Idealizing resilience may overlook systemic failures.
