There is nothing easier than lopping off heads and nothing harder than developing ideas. Fyodor Dostoevsky More Quotes by Fyodor Dostoevsky More Quotes From Fyodor Dostoevsky The man who has a conscience suffers whilst acknowledging his sin. That is his punishment. Fyodor Dostoevsky sinsufferingmen Above all, avoid falsehood, every kind of falsehood, especially falseness to yourself. Watch over your own deceitfulness and look into it every hour, every minute. Fyodor Dostoevsky over-youwatcheslooks Dreams seem to be spurred on not by reason but by desire, not by the head but by the heart, and yet what complicated tricks my reason has played sometimes in dreams. Fyodor Dostoevsky dreamdesireheart There were moments when I hated everybody I came across, innocent or guilty, and looked at them as thieves who were robbing me of my life with impunity. The most unbearable misfortune is when you yourself become unjust, malignant, vile; you realize it, you even reproach yourself - but you just can't help it. Fyodor Dostoevsky unbearablethievesunjust Gentlemen, let us suppose that man is not stupid. (Indeed one cannot refuse to suppose that, if only from the one consideration, that, if man is stupid, then who is wise?) But if he is not stupid, he is monstrously ungrateful! Phenomenally ungrateful. In fact, I believe that the best definition of man is the ungrateful biped. Fyodor Dostoevsky stupidwisebelieve For broad understanding and deep feeling, you need pain and suffering. Fyodor Dostoevsky painunderstandingfeelings My God, a moment of bliss. Why, isn't that enough for a whole lifetime? Fyodor Dostoevsky blissmomentshappiness Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid. Fyodor Dostoevsky deep-thoughthappinessworld For the secret of man's being is not only to live but to have something to live for. Without a stable conception of the object of life, man would not consent to go on living, and would rather destroy himself than remain on earth, though he had bread in abundance. Fyodor Dostoevsky secretgoes-onmen The jealous are the readiest of all to forgive, and all women know it. Fyodor Dostoevsky jealousforgivingknows Every man has some reminiscences which he would not tell to everyone, but only to his friends. He has others which he would not reveal even to his friends, but only to himself, and that in secret. But finally there are still others which a man is even afraid to tell himself, and every decent man has a considerable number of such things stored away. That is, one can even say that the more decent he is, the greater the number of such things in his mind. Fyodor Dostoevsky secretnumbersmen Bad people are to be found everywhere, but even among the worst there may be something good. Fyodor Dostoevsky foundmaypeople One must love life before loving its meaning ... yes, and when the love of life disappears, no meaning can console us. Fyodor Dostoevsky consolelove-lifedisappear To kill someone for committing murder is a punishment incomparably worse than the crime itself. Murder by legal sentence is immeasurably more terrible than murder by brigands. Fyodor Dostoevsky punishmentcrimemurder Drive nature out of the door and it will fly in at the window Fyodor Dostoevsky doorswindow You can be sincere and still be stupid. Fyodor Dostoevsky deep-thoughtignorancestupid I am strongly convinced that not only too much consciousness but even any consciousness at all is a sickness. Fyodor Dostoevsky sicknessconsciousnesstoo-much You see, gentlemen, reason is an excellent thing, there’s no disputing that, but reason is nothing but reason and satisfies only the rational side of man’s nature, while will is a manifestation of the whole life, that is, of the whole human life including reason and all the impulses. And although our life, in this manifestation of it, is often worthless, yet it is life and not simply extracting square roots. Fyodor Dostoevsky squaresrootsmen A cultivated and decent man cannot be vain without setting a fearfully high standard for himself, and without despising and almost hating himself at certain moments. Fyodor Dostoevsky high-standardshatemen At some thoughts one stands perplexed, especially at the sight of men's sin, and wonders whether one should use force or humble love. Always decide to use humble love. If you resolve on that once for all, you may subdue the whole world. Fyodor Dostoevsky stronghumilityhumble
