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 DostoevskyRead
The more conscious I was of goodness and of all that was 'sublime and beautiful,'the more deeply I sank into my mire and the more ready I was to sink in it altogether.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the struggle between recognizing goodness and beauty and the temptation to succumb to despair and negativity.
In this profound reflection, Dostoevsky explores the paradox of human consciousness where an awareness of goodness and beauty can deepen one's sense of despair. The more one becomes attuned to the sublime aspects of life, the more painfully aware they become of their own suffering and darkness, leading to a sense of inevitability about sinking into despair. This highlights the complexity of human emotions, where enlightenment can sometimes lead to greater depths of sorrow.
Themes
ConsciousnessGoodnessBeautyDespairSufferingPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about existentialism and the human condition, this quote can illustrate the struggle between hope and despair.
More from Fyodor Dostoevsky
All quotes →What if, when this fog scatters and flies upward, the whole rotten, slimey city goes with it, rises with the fog and vanishes like smoke.
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Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled.
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Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
But do you understand, I cry to him, do you understand that if you have the guillotine in the forefront, and with such glee, it's for the sole reason that cutting heads off is the easiest thing, and having an idea is difficult!
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
...to return to their 'native soil,' as they say, to the bosom, so to speak, of their mother earth, like frightened children, yearning to fall asleep on the withered bosom of their decrepit mother, and to sleep there for ever, only to escape the horrors that terrify them.
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
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