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 hundred suspicions don't make a proof.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Having doubts or suspicions alone is not sufficient to establish truth or proof.
This quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky emphasizes that mere speculation or suspicion cannot substitute for concrete evidence. In philosophical discourse, it highlights the importance of empirical proof rather than relying on uncertain conjectures, drawing attention to the necessity of rational thought and substantiated claims in forming conclusions about reality.
Themes
SuspicionProofEvidenceTruthPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate, one could use this quote to illustrate the need for solid evidence over mere conjecture.
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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.
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
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