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
Power is only vouchsafed to the man who dares to stoop and pick it up. There is only one thing, one thing needful: one has only to dare!
Interpretation
What this quote means
True power comes to those who are willing to take risks and act decisively.
In this quote, Dostoevsky emphasizes that power is not something that is simply given; rather, it must be actively sought out by those who are bold enough to take initiative. It suggests that the willingness to confront challenges and embrace risks is essential for gaining influence and achieving one's goals.
Themes
PowerCourageInitiativeDaringRisk-Taking
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about leadership, one could use this quote to inspire taking bold actions.
More from Fyodor Dostoevsky
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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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