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
The more stupid one is, the closer one is to reality. The more stupid one is, the clearer one is. Stupidity is brief and artless, while intelligence squirms and hides itself. Intelligence is unprincipled, but stupidity is honest and straightforward.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that simplicity and honesty in thought can lead to a clearer understanding of reality than the complexities of intelligence.
Dostoevsky's quote contrasts the nature of stupidity and intelligence. It posits that while intelligence can be convoluted and evasive, often complicating one's view of reality, stupidity is portrayed as direct and forthright. In this view, foolishness may allow for a more straightforward and honest acknowledgment of life as it is, while the cleverness of intelligent reasoning can create layers of deception or misinterpretation.
Themes
StupidityIntelligenceRealityHonestyPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical debate about the nature of truth.
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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.
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