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
I may be mistaken but it seems to me that a man may be judged by his laugh, and that if at first encounter you like the laugh of a person completely unknown to you, you may say with assurance that he is good.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A person's laughter can reflect their character, indicating goodness and kindness.
This quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky suggests that laughter is a fundamental aspect of a person's personality. It implies that an individual's laugh can be a genuine expression of their intrinsic goodness, and that a positive reaction to someone's laughter can serve as an assurance of their moral attributes, ultimately reflecting the profound connection between joy and virtue.
Themes
LaughterGoodnessCharacterJudgmentFirst Impression
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on the importance of kindness, one could use this quote to emphasize that laughter can indicate a person's goodness.
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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