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
Where is it I've read that someone condemned to death says or thinks, an hour before his death, that if he had to live on some high rock, on such a narrow ledge that he'd only room to stand, and the ocean, everlasting darkness, everlasting solitude, everlasting tempest around him, if he had to remain standing on a square yard of space all his life, a thousand years, eternity, it were better to live so than to die at once. Only to live, to live and live! Life, whatever it may be!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the intrinsic value of life, suggesting that enduring hardships is preferable to the finality of death.
In this quote, Dostoevsky reflects on the human condition and the profound desire to live, even in the most dire and isolated circumstances. He conveys that the very act of living holds significance, suggesting that enduring pain, solitude, and darkness can still be better than succumbing to death. This perspective highlights a deep appreciation for life itself, regardless of its hardships.
Themes
LifeExistenceSufferingDeathEndurance
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on resilience, one might quote Dostoevsky to inspire others to appreciate life despite challenges.
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, 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.
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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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