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
A beast can never be as cruel as a human being, so artistically, so picturesquely cruel.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans can exhibit a level of cruelty that surpasses that of animals, often with artistic flair.
This quote by Dostoevsky reflects the belief that humanity possesses a unique capacity for cruelty that is both sophisticated and deeply disturbing. Unlike animals, whose brutality is instinctual and straightforward, humans have the ability to inflict pain in elaborate and artistic ways, which highlights the dark aspects of human nature and morality.
Themes
CrueltyHumanityPhilosophyNatureArtistic
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on human nature, this quote can emphasize the darker aspects of ethics and morality.
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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!
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...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.
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