Cannot Be Useless

"So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is divine, with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the age — the degradation of man by poverty, the ruin of women by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night — are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless.

— Victor Hugo, in regards to Les Miserables

 I discovered this quote in an old library copy of Les Miserables and loved it so much that I had no choice but to write it down immediately. Sometimes I wonder if I should be studying something else. Something more useful or noble or helpful... But then I think about it and the bottom line is simply how can you use this to help others? This quote just resonated  with me — books, words, music, film: they can all communicate to people so profoundly at times. It's all about what message you're trying to send, and as long as there is suffering in this world, "books like this cannot be useless." Nothing that inspires, gives hope, or expresses the beauty of human life can be useless if there are people that need to hear it.