Inspirational Quotes by Fyodor Dostoevsky

“It's God that's worrying me. That's the only thing that's worrying me. What if He doesn't exist? What if Rakitin's right- that it's an idea made up by men? Then if He doesn't exist, man is the chief of the earth, of the universe. Magnificent! Only”

“In the sphere of actual life, which has, indeed, its own rights, but also lays upon us great duties and obligations, in that sphere, if we want to be humane- Christian, in fact- we must, or ought to, act only upon convictions justified by reason and experience, which have been passed through the crucible of analysis; in a word, we must act rationally, and not as though in dream and delirium, that we may not do harm, that we may not ill-treat and ruin a man. Then it will be real Christian work, not only mystic, but rational and philanthropic....”

“I am sorry, friends and brothers, that I cannot express this clearly. But woe to those who have slain themselves on earth, woe to the suicides! I believe that there can be none more miserable than they. They tell us that it is a sin to pray for them and outwardly the Church, as it were, renounces them, but in my secret heart I believe that we may pray even for them.”

“This soldier had been taken prisoner in some remote part of Asia, and was threatened with an immediate agonising death if he did not renounce Christianity and follow Islam.”

“İsteyerek soytarılık yapanlar, hiç de acınacak insanlar değillerdir.”

“Dacă Semion Ivanovici nu izbutea să convieţuiască în bună înţelegere cu lumea – aceasta se datora numai şi numai lui. Lucrul de căpetenie, care atrăsese atenţia tuturor, fusese, fără îndoială, zgârcenia, cărpănoşia lui Semion Ivanovici. Această trăsătură de caracter fusese numaidecât prinsă de toţi şi luată în considerare, fiindcă Semion Ivanovici – pentru nimic în lume – nu împrumuta nimănui, în nici un chip, ceainicul: chiar pentru un timp cât de scurt. Era cu atât mai nedrept în această privinţă, cu cât el însuşi nu bea ceai aproape deloc.”

“Totuşi nu putem să nu atragem luarea-aminte a cititorului că eroul nostru — un om simplu, foarte modest, care trăise într-o singurătate absolută, tainică, până la începutul convieţuirii cu alţi chiriaşi, era cunoscut ca o persoană liniştită, ba chiar cam enigmatică. Căci în timpul ultimei sale şederi la Peski, obişnuia să stea întins în pat, după paravan. Nu scotea o vorbă şi nu avea relaţii cu nimeni. Ceilalţi doi colocatari ai săi îi semănau în totul: amândoi păreau de asemeni misterioşi şi au stat culcaţi în pat, după paravan, cincisprezece ani. Zile, ceasuri — fericite şi somnolente — se scurseseră unele după altele într-o pace patriarhală.”

“Y te preguntas «¿Dónde están tus sueños?». Y meneas la cabeza y te dices: «¡Qué rápido pasan los años!» Y de nuevo te preguntas «¿Y qué has hecho con tus años? ¿Dónde has enterrado tu mejor época? ¿Has o no vivido?»”

“Kinsman of Mahomet or Salutary Folly, a scandalous book published in Moscow a hundred years ago, before they had any censorship.”

“can't you see that I don't want your benevolence? A strange desire you have to shower benefits on a man who … curses them, who feels them a burden in fact! Why did you seek me out at the beginning of my illness? Maybe I was very glad to die. Didn't I tell you plainly enough to-day that you were torturing me, that I was … sick of you! You seem to want to torture people!”

“الملحد- الإنسان، ربما كنت أخشاه إلى الآن. ولكن هذا الملحد- الإنسان، يا ألكسندر سیمنوفتش، لم يتفق لي أن لقيته مرة واحدة في يوم من الأيام، وإنما أنا لقيت الملحد - المشوش. نعم هكذا يجب أن يسمى. أناس من كل نوع، لا يستطيع المرء أن يرى رؤية واضحة من هم. بينهم كبار وصغار، وبينهم حمقي وعلماء، وبينهم حتى أفراد من عامة الشعب. وهم جميعًا مشوشون. إنهم يقضون حياتهم كلها في القراءة والاستدلال والتفكير، وقد امتلأت نفوسهم افتتانا بالكتب، ولكنهم يظلون دائمًا في الشك، ولا يستطيعون أن يعزموا أمرهم على شيء، منهم من تبعثروا تبعثرًا تامة فأصبحوا لا يلاحظون أنفسهم. ومنهم من جمدوا فكانوا كالصخر على امتلاء قلوبهم بالأحلام، ومنهم خفاف يحسون ولا يكترثون ولا يهمهم إلا أن يطلقوا السخريات تلو السخريات. و منهم لا يقطفون من الكتب إلا الزهرة، ولكنهم يقطفون الزهرة التي يريدون، ثم يظلون مشوشين لا يستقرون على حال. إن بين هؤلاء من طافوا بجميع العلوم ، ولكن الضجر بقي في قلوبهم. أعتقد أن الواحد منهم كلما كان أكثر فكرًا كان أكثر ضجرًا. انظر في هذه النقطة : هم جميع أموات، ولكن كلا منهم يتباهي بموته، ولا يخطر بباله أن يتجه إلى الحقيقة "الوحيدة". أن يعيش المرء بغير إله فذلك عذاب. إن الإنسان لا يستطيع أن يعيش بغير سجود. بغير سجود لا يمكن أن يحتمل الإنسان نفسه. لا أحد قادر على هذا. فإذا جحد الله سجد لمعبود من خشب أو من ذهب، أو سجد لمعبود صنعه له الخيال. إنهم جميعا وثنيون لا ملحدون، هكذا يجب أن نسميهم . ولكن كيف لا يكون هناك ملحدون ! إن بعض الناس ملحدون حقا، وهؤلاء أبعث على الخوف والرهبة من الآخرين، لأن اسم الله ماثل في أفواههم دائما. سمعت عن هؤلاء مرارا، ولكنني لم ألتقي أحدا منهم يوما.”

“They have science; but in science there is nothing but what is the object of sense. The spiritual world, the higher part of man’s being is rejected altogether, dismissed with a sort of triumph, even with hatred. The world has proclaimed the reign of freedom, especially of late, but what do we see in this freedom of theirs? Nothing but slavery and self-destruction! For the world says: “You have desires and so satisfy them, for you have the same rights as the most rich and powerful. Don’t be afraid of satisfying them and even multiply your desires.” That is the modern doctrine of the world. In that they see freedom.”

“refreshment.”

“My dear Mina, why are men so noble when we women are so little worthy of them? Here was I almost making fun of this great hearted, true gentleman. I burst into tears, I am afraid, my dear, you will think this a very sloppy letter in more ways than one, and I really felt very badly. Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?”

“Választ kerestem a kérdésemre. De választ a gondolat nem adhatott – a gondolat összemérhetetlen ezzel a kérdéssel. Választ maga az élet adott, tudomásomban, hogy mi jó s mi rossz. S ezt a tudást semmivel sem szereztem – mindenestül adatott –, mert hisz sehonnan nem vehettem. Honnan vettem hát? Ésszel jöttem rá, hogy felebarátomat szeretni kell s nem megfojtani? Gyerekkoromban mondták, s örömest elhittem, mert azt mondták, ami a lelkemben volt. Ki fedezte föl? Nem az ész. Az ész a létért való harcot fedezte föl, a törvényt, mely arra ösztökél, hogy megfojtsak mindenkit, aki vágyaim kielégítésében akadályoz. Az észnek ez a bölcsessége. Hogy mást szeressek, az ész nem fedezhette föl, hisz ésszerűtlen.”

“One may save anyone who does not want to be ruined; but if the whole nature is so corrupt, so depraved, that ruin itself seems to be her salvation, what’s to be done?”

“Es una estupidez dejarse dominar por el pasado; es preciso luchar para vivir mejor, mucho mejor.”

“But 'time is money,' don't forget that," said the Colonel. "It all depends on what time! There are times when one would give a whole month for a shilling and there are times when you would not give half an hour at any price.”

“Now he experienced a feeling akin to that of a man who, while calmly crossing a bridge over a precipice, should suddenly discover that the bridge is broken, and that there is a chasm below. That chasm was life itself, the bridge that artificial life in which Aleksey Aleksandrovich had lived. For the first time the question presented itself to him of the possibility of his wife’s loving someone else, and he was horrified at it.”

“the sun rose brilliant and quickly wore away the thin layer of ice that covered the water, and all the warm air was quivering with the steam that rose up from the quickened earth.”