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 seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man's life is made up of nothing, but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our later life is often a reflection of the habits we develop earlier.
This quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky suggests that the habits and behaviors we cultivate in our youth significantly shape the course of our later years. It implies that our character and life path are largely determined by the accumulation of these habits, reinforcing the importance of conscious choices in the early stages of life.
Themes
HabitsLifeChoicesCharacterReflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal development.
More from Fyodor Dostoevsky
All quotes βWhat if, when this fog scatters and flies upward, the whole rotten, slimey city goes with it, rises with the fog and vanishes like smoke.
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled.
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
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
Similar quotes
All my life I have dealt with objective matters; hence I lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people and to carry out official functions.
Albert EinsteinRead
Your mindset matters. It affects everything - from the business and investment decisions you make, to the way you raise your children, to your stress levels and overall well-being.
Peter DiamandisRead
The writer can grow as a person or he can shrink. ... His curiosity, his reaction to life must not diminish. The fatal thing is to shrink, to be interested in less, sympathetic to less, desiccating to the point where life itself loses its flavor, and oneβs passion for human understanding changes to weariness and distaste.
Norman MailerRead
Can you gather your vital breath and yet be tender like a newborn baby?
LaoziRead
May we be enlightened by a ray of the light that comes from Bethlehem, the light of He who is 'The Greatest' and made himself small.
Pope Benedict XviRead
Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.
Albert EinsteinRead