"The soul has illusions as the bird has wings: it is supported by them"

Victor Hugo’s assertion that “The soul has illusions as the bird has wings: it is supported by them” conveys a profound recognition of the role of dreams, hopes, and perhaps necessary deceptions in human existence. Illusions, often dismissed as mere false beliefs, are here elevated to the status of vital, sustaining forces. Just as a bird’s wings are not superficial ornaments but the very instrument of its flight, its means to navigate, survive, and aspire upward, so, too, are the illusions of the soul fundamental to the human spirit.

Illusions, in this context, need not be understood as self-delusion or misguided fantasies. They encompass all that uplifts, motivates, and gives direction to the inner life: the ultimate goals, cherished ideals, and even fleeting hopes that drive personal growth and resilience. To live without illusion is to risk succumbing to a bare, possibly unbearable, reality, a condition akin to a bird stripped of its wings, earthbound and deprived of its essential nature. Hugo suggests that these illusions are not mere psychological crutches but structural necessities, intrinsic to being and becoming.

The metaphor reinforces the organic character of these illusions. Wings are not artificial attachments; they grow naturally from the bird. Similarly, illusions arise unbidden from the depths of the soul, woven into consciousness as dreams, aspirations, or comforting visions of meaning. To be human is to hold, perhaps unconsciously, a collection of comforting notions about love, immortality, justice, or personal significance. While these may not always align perfectly with factual reality, they propel individuals forward, inspire courage, and create the very possibility of transcendence.

Rather than urging the abandonment of such illusions, Hugo implies reverence for their generative power. They are not obstacles to enlightenment but conditions of vitality. To recognize the sustaining force of illusions is, paradoxically, to cultivate a more compassionate and realistic understanding of the soul’s needs and its innate yearning for elevation.