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
People speak sometimes about the "bestial" cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the unique and often sophisticated cruelty of humans compared to animals.
Dostoevsky argues that while humans are often described as bestially cruel, this comparison is misguided. He suggests that animals, while capable of violence, do not possess the same level of intentional and artistic cruelty that humans can inflict upon one another, implying a complex moral capacity that distinguishes humans from beasts.
Themes
CrueltyHuman NaturePhilosophyMoralityDostoevsky
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about human rights and animal rights, this quote can be used to highlight the complexity of human moral failings.
More from Fyodor Dostoevsky
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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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