--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is certain that people do talk to…" description: "\"“It is certain that people do talk to themselves; there is no living being who has not done it. It may even be said that the word is never a more magni..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/victor-hugo-32_life_it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-the_2144010.jpg" --- # It is certain that people do talk to themselves; there is… ![“It is certain that people do talk to themselves; there is no living being who has not done it. It may even be said that the word is never a more magnificent mystery than when it goes from thought to conscience within a man, and when it returns from conscience to thought;” quote by Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/victor-hugo-32_life_it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-the_2144010.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/victor-hugo-32_life_it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-the_2144010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/victor-hugo-32_life_it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-the_2144010.jpg) > ““It is certain that people do talk to themselves; there is no living being who has not done it. It may even be said that the word is never a more magnificent mystery than when it goes from thought to conscience within a man, and when it returns from conscience to thought;”” [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑talk reveals inner consciousness; turning thought into conscience is a profound mystery. **In simple terms:** Talking to yourself shows inner awareness. Key Takeaway Observe your inner dialogue. Themes psychology self consciousness Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal journaling - therapy sessions - mindfulness practice Key Concepts inner speech metacognition philosophical reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does inner speech shape identity? - Can you use it to improve decision‑making? A Different Perspective Self‑talk can reinforce negative patterns if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [“It may indeed be said that the word is never a more splendid mystery than when it travels in a man's mind from thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/it-may-indeed-be-said-that-the-word-is-never-a-more-splendid-mystery/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Certainly we talk to ourselves; there is no thinking being who has not experienced that. One could even say that the word is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/certainly-we-talk-to-ourselves-there-is-no-thinking-being-who-has-not/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [My grandmother told me a long time ago, 'I don't care if you're sweeping a porch for a living.' She said, 'You need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-bowie/my-grandmother-told-me-a-long-time-ago-i-don-t-care-if-you-re/) [Tori Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-bowie/) > [I was made, by the law, a criminal, not because of what I had done, but because of what I stood for, because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-was-made-by-the-law-a-criminal-not-because-of-what-i-had-done-but/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [What’s more, you’re loads better than you think you are.” “So why is it I get to thinking that way?” I puzzled. “That’s because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/what-s-more-you-re-loads-better-than-you-think-you-are-so-why-is-it-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“But he died," I protested. "It's a condition of living," she said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henry/but-he-died-i-protested-it-s-a-condition-of-living-she-said/) [Emily Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henry/) > [To the last day of your life, be positive; try to be cheerful. Even at the very end, don't think, "I am finished." Instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/to-the-last-day-of-your-life-be-positive-try-to-be-cheerful-even-at/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [I soothe my conscience now with the thought that it is better for hard words to be on paper than that Mummy should carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/i-soothe-my-conscience-now-with-the-thought-that-it-is-better-for/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [“If a conscience is living in a world defined by regrets, then yeah, I’ve got a conscience. My very first thought every morning is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/if-a-conscience-is-living-in-a-world-defined-by-regrets-then-yeah-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“Conscience is a strange thing...No matter how great the happiness around me, my soul would have been in darkness. The circumstances of happiness are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/conscience-is-a-strange-thing-no-matter-how-great-the-happiness/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I have examined the death penalty under each of its two aspects: as a direct action, and as an indirect one. What does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/i-have-examined-the-death-penalty-under-each-of-its-two-aspects-as-a/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“What a contemplation for the mind, and what endless food for thought, is the reverberation of God upon the human wall!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/what-a-contemplation-for-the-mind-and-what-endless-food-for-thought/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“A hero is a person who, without a second thought, simply does the right thing because his conscience cannot live with any other choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-hero-is-a-person-who-without-a-second-thought-simply-does-the-right/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [All that we are is the result of what we have thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-we-are-is-the-result-of-what-we-have-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgotten thought is the ultimate entropy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-lintern/forgotten-thought-is-the-ultimate-entropy/) Neil Lintern ## More by Victor Hugo > [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“There is still a certain grace in a dead festival. It has been happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-is-still-a-certain-grace-in-a-dead-festival-it-has-been-happy/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“First I loved women, then animals, and now I love stones. They're just as amusing as women and animals and they're much less trecherous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/first-i-loved-women-then-animals-and-now-i-love-stones-they-re-just/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Nature is pitiless; she never withdraws her flowers, her music, her fragrance, and her sunlight from before human cruelty or suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/nature-is-pitiless-she-never-withdraws-her-flowers-her-music-her/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/have-courage-for-the-great-sorrows-of-life-and-patience-for-the-small/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [The peasants of the Asturias believe that in every litter of wolves there is one pup that is killed by the mother for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-peasants-of-the-asturias-believe-that-in-every-litter-of-wolves/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Great blunders are often made, like large ropes, of a multitude of fibres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/great-blunders-are-often-made-like-large-ropes-of-a-multitude-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“For love is like a tree; it grows of itself; it send its roots deep into our being, and often continues to grow green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/for-love-is-like-a-tree-it-grows-of-itself-it-send-its-roots-deep/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Blacheville smiles with the self-satisfied smugness of a man whose vanity is tickled”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/blacheville-smiles-with-the-self-satisfied-smugness-of-a-man-whose/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Loving in ignorance, she loved with all the more passion. She did not know whether it was good or evil, beneficent or dangerous, necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/loving-in-ignorance-she-loved-with-all-the-more-passion-she-did-not/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/laughter-is-the-sun-that-drives-winter-from-the-human-face/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Our joys have shadows. The perfect smile belongs to God alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/our-joys-have-shadows-the-perfect-smile-belongs-to-god-alone/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“When those we love are in question, our prudence invents every sort of madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/when-those-we-love-are-in-question-our-prudence-invents-every-sort-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Love is a fault; so be it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/love-is-a-fault-so-be-it/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) [Explore all 2,181 Victor Hugo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) ## More Conscience quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) Rabelaise > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [My morals are important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/my-morals-are-important-to-me/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) [Browse all 3,490 Conscience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is certain that people do talk to themselves; there is no living being who has not done it. It may even be said that the word is never a more magnificent mystery than when it goes from thought to conscience within a man, and when it returns from conscience to thought;”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Victor Hugo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-themselves-there-is-no-living/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conscience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-themselves-there-is-no-living/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/victor-hugo-32_life_it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-the_2144010.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/victor-hugo-32_life_it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-the_2144010.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/victor-hugo-32_life_it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-the_2144010.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is certain that people do talk to themselves; there is no living being who has not done it. It may even…” — Victor Hugo", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Victor Hugo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is certain that people do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-themselves-there-is-no-living/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/it-is-certain-that-people-do-talk-to-themselves-there-is-no-living/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```