It is a mistake to imagine that man can exhaust his destiny, or can reach the bottom of anything whatever… — Victor Hugo

It is a mistake to imagine that man can exhaust his destiny, or can reach the bottom of anything whatever. Alas! what are all these destinies thus driven pell-mell? whither go they? why are they so? He who knows that, sees all the shadow. He is alone. His name is God.

In the original (French)

C’est une erreur de s’imaginer qu’on épuise le sort et qu’on touche le fond de quoi que ce soit.Hélas! qu’est-ce que toutes ces destinées ainsi poussées pêle-mêle? où vont-elles? pourquoi sont-elles ainsi?Celui qui sait cela voit toute l’ombre.'Il est seul. Il s’appelle Dieu.

p. 158Source: Wikiquote · CC BY-SA 4.0