Don’t be scared, dive into Dostoevsky’s world with these 20 quotes to celebrate his 203rd birthday.
Fyodor Dostoevsky, pronounced daa-stoy-ev-skee, was one of the greatest Russian writers of all time, in fact, this reputation is so renowned, that many readers are hesitant, or rather intimidated, to read his work fearing it might be too challenging.
However, not every writer has inspired the likes of William Faulkner, James Joyce, Jean-Paul Sartre, Frederick Nietzsche, and Franz Kafka. So, in honor of Dostoevsky’s 203rd birthday on November 11th, here are 20 quotes that will leave you hungry for more and inspired to dive into the world of Dostoevsky.
“I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” – Notes from Underground
“Right or wrong, it’s very pleasant to break something from time to time.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
“I can see the sun, but even if I cannot see the sun, I know that it exists. And to know that the sun is there – that is living.” – The Brothers Karamazov
“I swear to you gentlemen, that to be overly conscious is a sickness, a real, thorough sickness.” – Notes from Underground
“Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn’t calculate his happiness.” – Notes from Underground
“The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man” – The Brothers Karamazov
“To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” – Crime and Punishment
“If you want to discern a man and know his soul, you must look at him when he laughs” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
“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.” – Crime and Punishment
“To love someone means to see them as God intended them.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.” – Crime and Punishment
“What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.” – The Brothers Karamazov
“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.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“Realists do not fear the results of their study.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” – Crime and Punishment
“Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” – The Brothers Karamazov
“The soul is healed by being with children.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
“There are things which a man is afraid to tell even to himself, and every decent man has a number of such things stored away in his mind.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
“It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.” – Crime and Punishment
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Migz
Victoria Lewis
Victoria is a freelance writer, dog lover, and coffee enthusiast living with her husband and dog in a small town in Kansas. Surrounded by an expansive to-be-read pile, she spends her time either deeply engrossed in a book or listening to one. As a fervent supporter of both bookstores and public libraries, Victoria enjoys sharing her latest reads on social media, connecting with fellow bibliophiles, and diligently updating her Goodreads profile.
