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Man is so constituted that health is a purely negative state. Hunger once satisfied, it is difficult for a man to imagine the horrors of starvation; they cannot be understood without being felt.

— Jules Verne Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864)

L’homme est ainsi fait, que sa santé est un effet purement négatif; une fois le besoin de manger satisfait, on se figure difficilement les horreurs de la faim; il faut les éprouver, pour les comprendre.

Original text (French)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Ch. XLII: Headlong speed upward through the horrors of darkness

More quotes by Jules Verne

While his heart still beats, while his flesh still moves, I cannot accept that a being endowed with will-power can give in to despair.

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864)

What good would it be to discuss such a proposition, when force could destroy the best arguments?

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870)

An energetic man will succeed where an indolent one would vegetate and inevitably perish.

The Mysterious Island (1874)

Science, my lad, has been built upon many errors; but they are errors which it was good to fall into, for they led to the truth.

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864)

Civilization never recedes; the law of necessity ever forces it onwards.

The Mysterious Island (1874)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Jules Verne (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.