Quotes by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“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 fo...”

“What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.”

“The soul is healed by being with children.”

“I love mankind, he said, "but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole, the less I love man in particular.”

“To love someone means to see them as God intended them.”

“My God, a moment of bliss. Why, isn't that enough for a whole lifetime?”

“To love is to suffer and there can be no love otherwise.”

“He was, however, unable to give much prolonged or continuous thought to anything that evening , or to concentrate on any one idea; and anyway, even if he had been able to, he would not have found h...”

“Oh, how unbearable is a happy person sometimes!”

“We are all happy if we but knew it.”

“Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.”

“Drive nature out of the door and it will fly in at the window”

“Nature does not ask your permission, she has nothing to do with your wishes, and whether you like her laws or dislike them, you are bound to accept her as she is, and consequently all her conclusions.”

“Eh, brother, but nature has to be corrected and guided, otherwise we'd all drown in prejudices. Without that there wouldn't be even a single great man.”

“Do you suppose, gentlemen, that our children as they grow up and begin to reason can avoid such questions? No, they cannot, and we will not impose on them an impossible restriction. The sight of an...”

“Have you noticed how dogs sniff at one another when they meet? It seems to be their nature.- Yes; it's a funny habit.- No, it's not funny; you are wrong there. There's nothing funny in nature, howe...”

“Love all Gods creation, both the whole and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of light. Love the animals, love the plants, love each separate thing. If thou love each thing thou wilt p...”

“How can one deceive these dear little birds, when they look at one so sweetly and confidingly? I call them birds because there is nothing in the world better than birds!”

“Here is a commandment for you: seek happiness in sorrow. Work, work tirelessly.”

“I want peace; yes, I'd sell the whole world for a farthing, straight off, so long as I was left in peace. Is the world to go to pot, or am I to go without my tea? I say that the world may go to pot...”