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
Reason and Knowledge have always played a secondary, subordinate, auxiliary role in the life of peoples, and this will always be the case. A people is shaped and driven forward by an entirely different kind of force, one which commands and coerces them and the origin of which is obscure and inexplicable despite the reality of its presence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that human behavior and society are driven more by forces beyond reason and knowledge.
In this quote, Dostoevsky argues that while reason and knowledge are important, they play a minor role in the broader dynamics of society. Instead, he posits that there are deeper, often inexplicable forces that shape the destiny and actions of people, highlighting the complexity of human nature and societal influence.
Themes
ReasonKnowledgeForceSocietyHuman Nature
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on social dynamics, one might quote Dostoevsky to emphasize the limitations of rational decision-making.
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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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