Victor Hugo Quote
What about me?’ said Grantaire. ‘I’m here.’‘You?’‘Yes, me.’‘You? Rally Republicans! You? In defence of principles, fire up hearts that have grown cold!’‘Why not?’‘Are you capable of being good for something?’‘I have the vague ambition to be,’ said Grantaire.‘You don’t believe in anything.’‘I believe in you.’‘Grantaire, will you do me a favour?’‘Anything. Polish your boots.’‘Well, don’t meddle in our affairs. Go and sleep off the effects of your absinthe.’‘You’re heartless, Enjolras.’‘As if you’d be the man to send to the Maine gate! As if you were capable of it!’‘I’m capable of going down Rue des Grès, crossing Place St-Michel, heading off along Rue Monsieur-le-Prince, taking Rue de Vaugirard, passing the Carmelite convent, turning into Rue d’Assas, proceeding to Rue du Cherche-Midi, leaving the Military Court behind me, wending my way along Rue des Vieilles-Tuileries, striding across the boulevard, following Chaussée du Maine, walking through the toll-gate and going into Richefeu’s. I’m capable of that. My shoes are capable of that.’‘Do you know them at all, those comrades who meet at Richefeu’s?'‘Not very well. But we’re on friendly terms.’‘What will you say to them?’‘I’ll talk to them about Robespierre, of course! And about Danton. About principles.’‘You?’‘Yes, me. But I’m not being given the credit I deserve. When I put my mind to it, I’m terrific. I’ve read Prudhomme, I’m familiar with the Social Contract, I know by heart my constitution of the year II. The liberty of the citizen ends where the liberty of another citizen begins. Do you take me for a brute beast? I have in my drawer an old promissory note from the time of the Revolution. The rights of man, the sovereignty of the people, for God’s sake! I’m even a bit of an Hébertist. I can keep coming out with some wonderful things, watch in hand, for a whole six hours by the clock.’‘Be serious,’ said Enjolras.‘I mean it,’ replied Grantaire.Enjolras thought for a few moments, and with the gesture of a man who had come to a decision, ‘Grantaire,’ he said gravely, ‘I agree to try you out. You’ll go to the Maine toll-gate.’Grantaire lived in furnished lodgings very close to Café Musain. He went out, and came back five minutes later. He had gone home to put on a Robespierre-style waistcoat.‘Red,’ he said as he came in, gazing intently at Enjolras. Then, with an energetic pat of his hand, he pressed the two scarlet lapels of the waistcoat to his chest.And stepping close to Enjolras he said in his ear, ‘Don’t worry.’He resolutely jammed on his hat, and off he went.
What about me?’ said Grantaire. ‘I’m here.’‘You?’‘Yes, me.’‘You? Rally Republicans! You? In defence of principles, fire up hearts that have grown cold!’‘Why not?’‘Are you capable of being good for something?’‘I have the vague ambition to be,’ said Grantaire.‘You don’t believe in anything.’‘I believe in you.’‘Grantaire, will you do me a favour?’‘Anything. Polish your boots.’‘Well, don’t meddle in our affairs. Go and sleep off the effects of your absinthe.’‘You’re heartless, Enjolras.’‘As if you’d be the man to send to the Maine gate! As if you were capable of it!’‘I’m capable of going down Rue des Grès, crossing Place St-Michel, heading off along Rue Monsieur-le-Prince, taking Rue de Vaugirard, passing the Carmelite convent, turning into Rue d’Assas, proceeding to Rue du Cherche-Midi, leaving the Military Court behind me, wending my way along Rue des Vieilles-Tuileries, striding across the boulevard, following Chaussée du Maine, walking through the toll-gate and going into Richefeu’s. I’m capable of that. My shoes are capable of that.’‘Do you know them at all, those comrades who meet at Richefeu’s?'‘Not very well. But we’re on friendly terms.’‘What will you say to them?’‘I’ll talk to them about Robespierre, of course! And about Danton. About principles.’‘You?’‘Yes, me. But I’m not being given the credit I deserve. When I put my mind to it, I’m terrific. I’ve read Prudhomme, I’m familiar with the Social Contract, I know by heart my constitution of the year II. The liberty of the citizen ends where the liberty of another citizen begins. Do you take me for a brute beast? I have in my drawer an old promissory note from the time of the Revolution. The rights of man, the sovereignty of the people, for God’s sake! I’m even a bit of an Hébertist. I can keep coming out with some wonderful things, watch in hand, for a whole six hours by the clock.’‘Be serious,’ said Enjolras.‘I mean it,’ replied Grantaire.Enjolras thought for a few moments, and with the gesture of a man who had come to a decision, ‘Grantaire,’ he said gravely, ‘I agree to try you out. You’ll go to the Maine toll-gate.’Grantaire lived in furnished lodgings very close to Café Musain. He went out, and came back five minutes later. He had gone home to put on a Robespierre-style waistcoat.‘Red,’ he said as he came in, gazing intently at Enjolras. Then, with an energetic pat of his hand, he pressed the two scarlet lapels of the waistcoat to his chest.And stepping close to Enjolras he said in his ear, ‘Don’t worry.’He resolutely jammed on his hat, and off he went.
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About Victor Hugo
His most famous works are the novels The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) and Les Misérables (1862). In France, Hugo is renowned for his poetry collections, such as Les Contemplations (The Contemplations) and La Légende des siècles (The Legend of the Ages). Hugo was at the forefront of the Romantic literary movement with his play Cromwell and drama Hernani. Many of his works have inspired music, both during his lifetime and after his death, including the opera Rigoletto and the musicals Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris. He produced more than 4,000 drawings in his lifetime, and campaigned for social causes such as the abolition of capital punishment and slavery.
Although he was a committed royalist when young, Hugo's views changed as the decades passed, and he became a passionate supporter of republicanism, serving in politics as both deputy and senator. His work touched upon most of the political and social issues and the artistic trends of his time. His opposition to absolutism, and his literary stature, established him as a national hero. Hugo died on 22 May 1885, aged 83. He was given a state funeral in the Panthéon of Paris, which was attended by over 2 million people, the largest in French history.