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.
• Ch. XLII: Headlong speed upward through the horrors of darkness
• Ch. XLII: Headlong speed upward through the horrors of darkness
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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.
— Jules Verne
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "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." in the context of "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.
• Ch. XLII: Headlong speed upward through the horrors of darkness" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Jules Verne" (Quotes, Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864): Voyage au Centre de la Terre. Trans. Frederick Amadeus Malleson (1877). French text here. English text here.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Jules Verne
Jules Verne (8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French writer best known as a pioneering author in science fiction.
About Jules Verne
Jules Verne (8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French writer best known as a pioneering author in science fiction.
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