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
Every blade of grass, every insect, ant, and golden bee, all so amazingly know their path, though they have not intelligence, they bear witness to the mystery of God and continually accomplish it themselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
All living beings instinctively follow their purpose, showcasing the divine mystery of existence.
This quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky reflects on the idea that every creature, regardless of its perceived intelligence, has an innate understanding of its purpose in the grand design of life. It highlights the notion that there is a larger force at work, often interpreted as divine or spiritual, that guides all living beings along their paths, revealing the interconnectedness of nature and existence.
Themes
NatureInstinctPurposeExistenceDivine
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about environmental conservation, one could quote this to emphasize the importance of respecting all forms of life.
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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.
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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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America today stands poised on a pinnacle of wealth and power, yet we live in a land of vanishing beauty, of increasing ugliness, of shrinking open space, and of an over-all environment that is diminished daily by pollution and noise and blight.
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