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
Gentlemen, I am tormented by questions; answer them for me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a deep yearning for answers and understanding amidst existential queries.
In this quote, Fyodor Dostoevsky highlights the human condition of being plagued by questions about life, existence, and morality. It reflects the torment of the mind when facing uncertainty and the desire for clarity from others, signifying the universal quest for knowledge and meaning in a perplexing world.
Themes
QuestionsAnswersExistenceUnderstandingTorment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a philosophical discussion about the nature of existence.
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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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