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
But man is a fickle and disreputable creature and perhaps, like a chess-player, is interested in the process of attaining his goal rather than the goal itself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that humans often focus more on the journey and the strategies used to achieve their goals rather than the goals themselves.
Dostoevsky's quote reflects on the nature of human behavior and ambition, proposing that individuals may derive more satisfaction from the challenges and maneuvers involved in pursuing their objectives—much like a chess player delights in strategizing during a game—than from the eventual attainment of those goals. It highlights a philosophical perspective on the value of the experiences and lessons learned during the pursuit of success.
Themes
Human NatureGoalsJourneyStrategyPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to students about focusing on their studies as a process of self-discovery.
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.
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
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