"Genius is a promontory jutting out into the infinite"

In this quote, Victor Hugo is likening genius to a promontory, which is a high point of land that juts out into the ocean or another large body of water. Simply as a promontory extends into the huge expanse of the ocean, Hugo recommends that genius reaches out into the boundless possibilities of idea and imagination. This metaphor not just emphasizes the vastness of the imaginative mind but likewise highlights the seclusion that genius can often experience. Like a promontory standing alone in the water, genius can feel disconnected from the rest of the world, however also supplies a distinct point of view from which to see it.