Man has upon him the flesh which is at once his burden and his temptation.He carries it with him and yields to it.He must watch,restrain,and repress it,and only obey it in the last extremity.In this obedience there may still be a fault: but the fault thus committed is venial.It is a fall,but a fall on the knees,which may end in prayer.To be a saint is the exception,to be a just man is the rule.Err,fail,sin,but be just.The least possible amount of sin is the law of man: no sin at all is the dream of angels.All that is earthly is subjected to sin,for sin is a gravitation.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
