Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the most influential and celebrated Russian authors of all time who has left a lasting mark on the world of literature with his thought-provoking works. He is best known for his exploration of human nature, spirituality, morality, and existentialism which continues to resonate with readers across the globe. Dive deep into the understanding of life, love, suffering, tolerance, and more through some of the most famous Fyodor Dostoevsky quotes.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. His literary contributions have earned him a revered place in Western literature, with novels like Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, Poor Folk, Notes from Underground, and The Idiot.
Through his characters, Dostoevsky explores the eternal conflict between faith and reason, individualism and community, and the relentless pursuit of meaning amidst life’s struggles.
Dostoevsky’s profound insights into the human psyche and his exploration of moral dilemmas and existential themes have earned him a place among the greatest novelists in the literary world.
His works resonate with themes of suffering, redemption, morality, and the human condition, playing an important role in the development of existential and psychological literature.
His books have been translated into more than 170 languages, inspiring numerous adaptations in film and theatre.
Dostoevsky’s enduring legacy continues to inspire generations of writers and thinkers, captivating audiences with his keen observations on the human experience.
Let’s delve into the best Fyodor Dostoevsky quotes and sayings that offer profound insights into the depths of the human soul and the complexities of society.
Top 10 Fyodor Dostoevsky Quotes
- “If there is no God, everything is permitted.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky Quotes - “If you want to overcome the whole world, overcome yourself.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Quotes From Fyodor Dostoevsky - “It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Quotes By Fyodor Dostoevsky - “The greatest happiness is to know the source of unhappiness.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky Quote - “Happiness does not lie in happiness, but in the achievement of it.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Best Fyodor Dostoevsky Quotes - “Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky Quotes - “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Quotes From Dostoevsky - “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Famous Quotes By Dostoevsky - “The darker the night, the brighter the stars, The deeper the grief, the closer is God!” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
Quotes Of Dostoevsky - “Power is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up. Only one thing matters, one thing; to be able to dare!” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Famous Quotes From Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “To think too much is a disease.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Above all, don’t lie to yourself.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- “To live without hope is to cease to live.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “To love another person is to see them as God intended them to be.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “I gave up caring about anything, and all the problems disappeared.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Man only likes to count his troubles, he doesn’t calculate his happiness.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “It’s the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet tender joy.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he’s in prison.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
- “To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
- “Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
- “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.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Best Fyodor Dostoevsky Quotes
- “The world will be saved by beauty.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “This is my last message to you: in sorrow, seek happiness.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- “There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings. ” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Man is sometimes extraordinarily, passionately, in love with suffering…” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- “You’ve taken your cowardice for good sense and found comfort in thus deceiving yourselves.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “A beast can never be as cruel as a human being, so artistically, so picturesquely cruel.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
- “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 seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man’s life is usually made up of nothing but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “If you want to be respected by others, the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Quotes By Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “You can be sincere and still be stupid.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “A hundred suspicions don’t make a proof.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “But how could you live and have no story to tell?” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “There is immeasurably more left inside than what comes out in words.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “You will burn and you will burn out; you will be healed and come back again.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “It is better to be unhappy and know the worst, than to be happy in a fool’s paradise.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Man is a creature who can get used to anything, and I believe that is the very best way of defining him.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
- “Learning to love is hard and we pay dearly for it. It takes hard work and a long apprenticeship, for it is not just for a moment that we must learn to love, but forever.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Humanity can live without science, it can live without bread, but it cannot live without beauty. Without beauty, there would be nothing left to do in this life. Here the secret lies. Here lies the entire story.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky Quotes From His Books
- “God is the pain of the fear of death” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demons
- “Day succeeded day, and each day was like the last one.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Poor Folk
- “Poor people are subject to fancies — this is a provision of nature.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Poor Folk
- “To love is to suffer and there can be no love otherwise.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes from Underground
- “How can a man of consciousness have the slightest respect for himself” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground
- “Above all, avoid falsehood, every kind of falsehood, especially falseness to yourself.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
- “In sinning, each man sins against all, and each man is at least partly guilty for another’s sin. There is no isolated sin.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Demons
- “I want to live in order to satisfy my whole capacity for living. I don’t want any more of myself left unused when I die.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
- “Rather than go preaching to people about what they ought to be, show them through your own example. Carry it out yourselves in practice, and everyone will follow you.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, A Writer’s Diary
- “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.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
Conclusion
Did you enjoy these Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes and sayings? Which of these quotes are your favorite? Is there a quote that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
If you enjoyed reading these inspirational quotes then check our collection of Franz Kafka quotes and Leo Tolstoy quotes.
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