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 not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them — the character, the heart, generous qualities, progressive ideas.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Brains are important, but character and values are what truly guide actions and decisions.
This quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky emphasizes that intelligence alone does not define a person's worth; rather, it is their character, compassion, and progressive ideas that ultimately influence their actions and the broader impact they have on the world. It suggests that true leadership and success come from qualities that inspire and uplift others, rather than just from intellectual capabilities.
Themes
CharacterValuesLeadershipWisdomHeart
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about leadership qualities.
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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