Fyodor Dostoevsky
lie yourself respect others
“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
pain suffering inevitable intelligence heart sadness earth
“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
wrong own way right else
“To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
man count trouble calculate happiness
“Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn't calculate his happiness.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
soul heal children
“The soul is healed by being with children.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
bestial cruelty man unjust beast animal cruel
“People speak sometimes about the 'bestial' cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
intelligence act intelligently smart
“It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
new step word people fear originality
“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
harder speaking truth easy flattery
“Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
sincere stupid
“You can be sincere and still be stupid.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
brains matter guides character heart generosity progressive idea
“It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them — the character, the heart, generous qualities, progressive ideas.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
cause human action complex explanation behavior
“Don’t let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations of them.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
pain suffering inevitable large intelligence deep heart
“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
easy denounce evildoer difficult understand
“Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
beast cruel human cruelty
“A beast can never be as cruel as a human being, so artistically, so picturesquely cruel.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
hundred suspicions proof
“A hundred suspicions don't make a proof.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
civilization society measure judge prison
“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
power dare stoop
“Power is given only to him who dares to stoop and take it ... one must have the courage to dare.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
mystery human life old grief tender joy
“It's the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet tender joy.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
lying lie oneself others ingrained
“Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
compassion law human existence
“Compassion is the chief law of human existence.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
people new idea capacity extraordinary few rare
“People with new ideas, people with the faintest capacity for saying something new, are extremely few in number, extraordinarily so, in fact.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
nature permission wishes laws accept result consequences
“Nature doesn't ask your permission; it doesn't care about your wishes, or whether you like its laws or not. You're obliged to accept it as it is, and consequently all its results as well.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
man god believe pray murder
“One man doesn't believe in god at all, while the other believes in him so thoroughly that he prays as he murders men!”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
everything pass truth remain
“Everything passes, only truth remains.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
rationality happen
“If everything on earth were rational, nothing would happen”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)