Melancholy Quote by Victor Hugo
““You have no effect on me with your gesture of Hippocrates refusing bric-a-brac from Artaxerxes. I dispense you from quieting me. Anyway, I'm sad. What would you have me tell you? Man is wicked, man is deformed; the butterfly has succeeded, man has missed. God failed on this animal. A crowd gives you nothing but a choice of ugliness. The first man you meet will be a wretch. 'Femme' rhymes with 'infâme', woman is infamous. Yes, I have the spleen, in addition to melancholy, with nostalgia, plus hypochondria, and I sneer, and I rage, and I yawn, and I'm tired, and I'm bored, and I'm tormented! Let God go to the Devil!””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public reading, 1845
The speaker expresses deep cynicism about humanity, suffering, and divine failure, mixing melancholy with anger.
In simple terms: Cynical lament about human flaws and divine disappointment.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions about humanity.
Themes
philosophy
existentialism
critique of divinity
Mood
dark
intense
Type
philosophical
poetic
When to use this quote
- personal diary
- literary monologue
- philosophical debate
Key Concepts
nihilism
melancholy
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does satire reveal truth?
A Different Perspective
Is despair productive?
