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
Only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.
Interpretation
Self-respect is essential for earning respect from others.
This quote emphasizes the importance of having self-respect as a foundational aspect of personal integrity. Dostoevsky suggests that when individuals value themselves, they naturally inspire others to treat them with the same level of respect, highlighting the reciprocal nature of dignity in relationships.
In practice
In a motivational speech about self-empowerment, you could share this quote to inspire listeners to value themselves.
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.
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.
Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled.
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.
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!
...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.
As a trial lawyer in front of a jury and an author of true-crime books, credibility has always meant everything to me. My only master and my only mistress are the facts and objectivity. I have no others.
Much knowledge will corrupt the heart,/When partly understood,/And so the people grow too smart,/But neither wise nor good.
Not knowing everything is all that makes it OK, sometimes.
The liabilities are always 100 percent good. It's the assets you have to worry about.
Most people are highly optimistic most of the time.
I think pastors are the worst listeners. We're so used to speaking, teaching, giving answers. We must learn to be quiet, quit being so verbal, learn to pay attention to what's going on, and listen.
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