The Wisdom of “Les Miserables”

“Because of the urge to understand, we search for knowledge; yet knowledge is not the same as understanding or wisdom. We know the price in lives that war exacts, and we understand that war is a poor way to settle disputes; yet we do not have the wisdom to avoid such conflicts . . . . Wisdom is based on understanding life and how to live in harmony and balance with it. Wisdom is the ability to separate the important from the unimportant . . . and to move toward that which is most worthwhile.”—Muriel James and John James, Passion for Life: Psychology and the Human Spirit