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
It is man's unique privilege, among all other organisms. By pursuing falsehood you will arrive at the truth!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that the pursuit of deception can ultimately lead to the discovery of truth.
Dostoevsky emphasizes that humanity has the distinctive ability to seek out and question the truth, even through misleading paths. This reflects on the complexity of human experience, where exploring falsehoods can inadvertently illuminate genuine understanding and insight.
Themes
TruthFalsehoodHumanityPhilosophyUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical debate about ethics, one might use this quote to argue the complexities of truth.
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.
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
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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