--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Miserable beings, who, during their…" description: "\"“Miserable beings, who, during their ragged infancy, ran barefoot in the mud of the crossings; shivering in winter near the quays, or seeking to warm t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/victor-hugo-32_quote_miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged_1300854.jpg" --- # Miserable beings, who, during their ragged infancy, ran… ![“Miserable beings, who, during their ragged infancy, ran barefoot in the mud of the crossings; shivering in winter near the quays, or seeking to warm themselves from the kitchens of M. Véfour, where you happen to be dining; scratching out, here and there, a crust of bread from the heaps of filth…” quote by Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/victor-hugo-32_quote_miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged_1300854.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/victor-hugo-32_quote_miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged_1300854.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/victor-hugo-32_quote_miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged_1300854.jpg) > ““Miserable beings, who, during their ragged infancy, ran barefoot in the mud of the crossings; shivering in winter near the quays, or seeking to warm themselves from the kitchens of M. Véfour, where you happen to be dining; scratching out, here and there, a crust of bread from the heaps of filth, and wiping it before eating; scraping in the gutter all day, with a rusty nail, in the hopes of finding a farthing; having no other amusement than the gratuitous sight of the king’s fête, and the executions — that other gratuitous sight: poor devils! whom hunger forces to theft, and theft to all the rest; children disinherited by their step-mother, the world; who are adopted by the house of correction, in their twelfth year, by the galleys at eighteen, and by the guillotine at forty! Unfortunate beings, whom, by means of a school and a workshop, you might have rendered good, moral, useful; and with whom you now know not what to do; flinging them away like a useless burthen, sometimes into the red antheaps of Toulon, sometimes into the silent cemetery of Clamart; cutting off life after taking away liberty.”” [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. Society neglects the poor, leading to suffering and crime; education and opportunity could prevent this. **In simple terms:** Neglect creates misery; help can change lives. Key Takeaway Invest in education and support for the vulnerable. Themes poverty social injustice crime redemption Mood somber empathetic Type literary social commentary When to use this quote - public policy - charitable work - community outreach - school programs Key Concepts human rights social policy Questions to Reflect On - What practical steps can reduce poverty? - How does education alter life trajectories? A Different Perspective Systemic change requires sustained political will. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) ## Related quotes > [Men imitate the gods whom they adore, and to such miserable beings their crimes become their religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyprian/men-imitate-the-gods-whom-they-adore-and-to-such-miserable-beings/) [Cyprian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyprian/) > [Each of the seventeen tribunals during a long period burned annually, on an average, ten miserable beings!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/each-of-the-seventeen-tribunals-during-a-long-period-burned-annually/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [The poor man shuddered, overflowed with an angelic joy; he declared in his transport that this would last through life; he said to himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-poor-man-shuddered-overflowed-with-an-angelic-joy-he-declared-in/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [There comes a point when you either embrace who and what you are, or condemn yourself to be miserable all your days. Other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/there-comes-a-point-when-you-either-embrace-who-and-what-you-are-or/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [You've got to make a person aware of how miserable they really are and show them how happy they can be. Otherwise, why should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-ve-got-to-make-a-person-aware-of-how-miserable-they-really-are/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Miserable being must find more miserable being, then he is happy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/miserable-being-must-find-more-miserable-being-then-he-is-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I didn't fit into the Christian college my parents sent me to. I felt tarnished by tragedy, between my brother's death and Escuela Caribe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-scheeres/i-didn-t-fit-into-the-christian-college-my-parents-sent-me-to-i-felt/) [Julia Scheeres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-scheeres/) > [When you're "East Coast" person, you are so insufferable, and you have no idea. And I was. One, because I was miserable, and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/when-you-re-east-coast-person-you-are-so-insufferable-and-you-have-no/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [“As has been said, the truth will set you free - but first it will make you miserable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/as-has-been-said-the-truth-will-set-you-free-but-first-it-will-make/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. 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If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I read about feeding times, sleep times and waking-up times, the more inadequate and miserable I felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-porter/the-more-i-read-about-feeding-times-sleep-times-and-waking-up-times/) [Gail Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-porter/) > [If it was making me miserable, I'd get out, but it doesn't! It fuels me! That's why I'm taking on more things, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/if-it-was-making-me-miserable-i-d-get-out-but-it-doesn-t-it-fuels-me/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) ## 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. 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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 Miserable quotes > [If it was making me miserable, I'd get out, but it doesn't! It fuels me! That's why I'm taking on more things, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/if-it-was-making-me-miserable-i-d-get-out-but-it-doesn-t-it-fuels-me/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [The more I read about feeding times, sleep times and waking-up times, the more inadequate and miserable I felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-porter/the-more-i-read-about-feeding-times-sleep-times-and-waking-up-times/) [Gail Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-porter/) > [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is such unutterable hell, solely because it is sometimes beautiful. If we could only be miserable all the time, if there could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-such-unutterable-hell-solely-because-it-is-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nobody ever wins by the cavalry coming to rescue you. It isn't a question of you're happy if you get married, or you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/nobody-ever-wins-by-the-cavalry-coming-to-rescue-you-it-isn-t-a/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) > [“As has been said, the truth will set you free - but first it will make you miserable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/as-has-been-said-the-truth-will-set-you-free-but-first-it-will-make/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [When you're "East Coast" person, you are so insufferable, and you have no idea. And I was. One, because I was miserable, and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/when-you-re-east-coast-person-you-are-so-insufferable-and-you-have-no/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [I didn't fit into the Christian college my parents sent me to. I felt tarnished by tragedy, between my brother's death and Escuela Caribe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-scheeres/i-didn-t-fit-into-the-christian-college-my-parents-sent-me-to-i-felt/) [Julia Scheeres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-scheeres/) > [Miserable being must find more miserable being, then he is happy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/miserable-being-must-find-more-miserable-being-then-he-is-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You've got to make a person aware of how miserable they really are and show them how happy they can be. Otherwise, why should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-ve-got-to-make-a-person-aware-of-how-miserable-they-really-are/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [There comes a point when you either embrace who and what you are, or condemn yourself to be miserable all your days. Other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/there-comes-a-point-when-you-either-embrace-who-and-what-you-are-or/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [A lover goes toward his beloved as enthusiastically as a schoolboy leaving his books, but when he leaves his girlfriend, he feels as miserable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-lover-goes-toward-his-beloved-as-enthusiastically-as-a-schoolboy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Not forgiving prolongs hurt and anger and leads to smoldering resentment, which will make us miserable until it kills us. Resentment destroys the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-walters/not-forgiving-prolongs-hurt-and-anger-and-leads-to-smoldering/) Richard Walters > [If I were to be stuck in New York, I would be miserable. I love N.Y.C. but it's not enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-morgan/if-i-were-to-be-stuck-in-new-york-i-would-be-miserable-i-love-n-y-c/) [Sonja Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-morgan/) [Browse all 1,983 Miserable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Miserable beings, who, during their ragged infancy, ran barefoot in the mud of the crossings; shivering in winter near the quays, or seeking to warm themselves from the kitchens of M. 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Unfortunate beings, whom, by means of a school and a workshop, you might have rendered good, moral, useful; and with whom you now know not what to do; flinging them away like a useless burthen, sometimes into the red antheaps of Toulon, sometimes into the silent cemetery of Clamart; cutting off life after taking away liberty.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Victor Hugo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged-infancy-ran-barefoot-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Miserable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged-infancy-ran-barefoot-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/victor-hugo-32_quote_miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged_1300854.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/victor-hugo-32_quote_miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged_1300854.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/victor-hugo-32_quote_miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged_1300854.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Miserable beings, who, during their ragged infancy, ran barefoot in the mud of the crossings; shivering in…” — 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": "“Miserable beings, who, during their ragged...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged-infancy-ran-barefoot-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/miserable-beings-who-during-their-ragged-infancy-ran-barefoot-in-the/#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 } } ] } ```