“One is not idle because one is absorbed. There is both visible and invisible labor. To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do. The crossed arms work, the clasped hands act. The eyes upturned to Heaven are an act of creation.”

French Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician

Victor Hugo was a French Romantic writer, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist, and politician. He is known as one of the leading figures of French Romanticism. His work spans several literary forms, and his public life also included political engagement and advocacy for human rights. His writing helped define the Romantic movement in France, and his reputation rests on both his literary range and his influence in public debate.