The Brothers Karamazov Quotes

“Gentlemen, we are all cruel, we are all monsters, we all make people weep, mothers and nursing babies, but of all--let it be settled here and now--of all, I am the lowest vermin! So be it! Every day of my life I've been beating my breast and promising to reform, and every day I've done the same vile things. I understand now that for men such as I a blow is needed, a blow of fate, to catch them as with a noose and bind them by an external force. Never, never would I have risen by myself! But the thunder has struck. I accept the torment of accusation and of my disgrace before all, I want to suffer and be purified by suffering!”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“[The Devil] In my opinion, there is no need to destroy anything, one needs only destroy the idea of God in mankind, that's where the business should start! One should begin with that, with that--oh, blind men, of no understanding! Once mankind has renounced God, one and all (and I believe that this period, analogous to the geological periods, will come), then the entire old world view will fall of itself, without antrhopophagy, and, above all, the entire former morality, and everything will be new. People will come together in order to take from life all that it can give, but, of course, for happiness and joy in this world only. Man will be exalted with the spirit of the divine, tatanic pride, and the man-god will appear. Man, his will and his science no longer limited, conquering nature every hour, will thereby every hour experience such lofty delight as will replace for him all his former hopes of heavenly delight. Each will know himself utterly mortal, without resurrection, and will accept death proudly and calmly, like a god. Out of pride he will understand that he should not murmur against the momentariness of life, and he will love his brother then without any reward. Love will satisfy only the moment of life, but the very awareness of its momentariness will increase its fire, inasmuch as previously it was diffused in hopes of an eternal love beyond the grave.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Stupidity is honest and straightforward.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“You pass by a little child, you pass by, spiteful, with ugly words, with wrathful heart; you may not have noticed the child, but he has seen you, and your image, unseemly and ignoble, may remain in his defenseless heart. You don’t know it, but you may have sown an evil seed in him and it may grow, and all because you were not careful before the child, because you did not foster in yourself a careful, actively benevolent love.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“يتحدث الناس أحياناً عن جرائم بهيمية، لكن ذلك ظلم وإهانة للحيوانات، فالحيوان لا يمكن أن يقسو مثل الإنسان، فالنمر يبكي ويقضم وليس أكثر من ذلك، فهو لا يفكر بتسمير الناس من آذانهم حتى ولو كان قادرًا على ذلك.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“كان إيليوشا الصغير يحاول أن يخفي الضيق الذي يحسه ، ولكنه كان يدرك في قرارة قلبه المحطم المسحوق أن أباه قد أذله المجتمع، وأن ذكرى ذلك اليوم الرهيب جدا في الكباريه لا تفارقه لحظة . وكانت نينا الكسيحة ، أخت إيليوشا ، المهيضة الوديعة تكره ذلك أيضا ، حتى الأم البلهاء لم تجد في ذلك لذة كبيرة.”
― دستويفسكي, الإخوة كارامزوف

“السؤال ما زال يتأكل قلبك ، ولكن الشهيد يحبّٰ أحياناً أن يسلّي نفسه باليأس ، وأنت، في يأسك، تلهي نفسك بمقالات في مجلة ، وبمناقشة في جماعة ، مع أنك لا تثق بما تجادل به بقلب متوجّع تهزأ به من الداخل .. لم تجب عن ذلك السؤال، لم تجب عن ذلك السؤال وهو حزنك الكبير لأنه يتذمّر بصخب طالباً إجابة”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Now, I did know a certain young lady of the 'romantic' generation of not so long ago who, after being mysteriously in love for several years with a certain gentleman whom she could have married at any time without the least difficulty, suddenly broke off their relationship, inventing for herself all manner of insurmountable obstacles, and one stormy night plunged from a high, precipitous cliff into a fairly deep and fast-flowing river, where she perished from her own caprice solely through her attempt to imitate Shakespeare's Ophelia, for, had the precipice, which she had long before singled out and been compulsively drawn to, been less picturesque, and had there been only a prosaically flat bank in its stead, perhaps there would have been no suicide at all.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“ما الخوف على كل حال إلا ثمرة من ثمرات الكذب”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Besides, they have put too high a price on harmony; we can’t afford to pay so much for admission. And therefore I hasten to return my ticket. And it is my duty, if only as an honest man, to return it as far ahead of time as possible. Which is what I am doing. It’s not that I don’t accept God, Alyosha, I just most respectfully return him the ticket.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“if [God] doesn't exist, man is the chief of the earth, of the universe. Magnificent! Only how is he going to be good without God?”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Do not be afraid of anything, never be afraid, and do not grieve. Just let repentance not slacken in you, and God will forgive everything. There is not and cannot be in the whole world such a sin that the Lord will not forgive one who truly repents of it. A man even cannot commit so great a sin as would exhaust God’s boundless love. How could there be a sin that exceeds God’s love? Only take care that you repent without ceasing, and chase away fear altogether. Believe that God loves you so as you cannot conceive of it; even with your sin and in your sin he loves you. And there is more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ten righteous men4—that was said long ago. Go, then, and do not be afraid. Do not be upset with people, do not take offense at their wrongs. Forgive the dead man in your heart for all the harm he did you; be reconciled with him truly. If you are repentant, it means that you love. And if you love, you already belong to God … With love everything is bought, everything is saved. If even I, a sinful man, just like you, was moved to tenderness and felt pity for you, how much more will God be. Love is such a priceless treasure that you can buy the whole world with it, and redeem not only your own but other people’s sins. Go, and do not be afraid.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue

“ان ما من شئ في هذا العالم يمكن ان يجبر البشر على ان يحبوا أقرانهم, و انه ما من قانون طبيعي يفرض على الانسان ان يحب الانسانية, فاذا كان قد وجد و ما يزال يوجد على هذة الارض شئ من الحب فليس مرد ذلك الى قانون طبيعي بل الى سبب واحد هو اعتقاد البشر انهم خالدون. ان هذا الاعتقاد هو في الاساس الوحيد لكل قانون اخلاقي طبيعي, فاذا فقدت الانسانية هذا الاعتقاد بالخلود فسرعان ما ستغيض كل ينابيع الحب بل و سرعان ما سيفقد البشر كل قدرة على مواصلة حياتهم في هذا العالم. اكثر من ذلك انه لن يبقى هنالك شئ يعد منافيا للاخلاق و سيكون كل شئ مباحا, حتى اكل لحوم البشر.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“We are assured that the world is becoming more and more united, is being formed into brotherly communion, by the shortening of distances, by the transmitting of thoughts through the air. Alas, do not believe in such a union of people. Taking freedom to mean the increase and prompt satisfaction of needs, they distort their own nature, for they generate many meaningless and foolish desires, habits, and the most absurd fancies in themselves. They live only for mutual envy, for pleasure-seeking and self-display.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue

“If there is no immortality of the soul, then there is no virtue, and therefore everything is permitted.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue

“إن هذا التعود على الشرّ هو ما ينبغي أن نحزن لهـ .”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, أعمال دوستويفسكي الأدبية: الإخوة كارامازوف 3 ـ المجلد 18

“انهـ ليحدث في الحياة العادية أن توجد الحقيقة في الوسط حين يكون هناكـ عنصران متناقضان..”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, أعمال دوستويفسكي الأدبية: الإخوة كارامازوف 3 ـ المجلد 18

“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass 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, and in order to occupy and distract himself without love he gives way to passions and coarse pleasures, and sinks to bestiality in his vices, all from continual lying to other men and to himself.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“There’s a book here in which I read about the trial of a Jew, who took a child of four years old and cut off the fingers from both hands, and then crucified him on the wall, hammered nails into him and crucified him, and afterwards, when he was tried, he said that the child died soon, within four hours. That was ‘soon��! He said the child moaned, kept on moaning and he stood admiring it. That’s nice!”

“Nice?”

“Nice; I sometimes imagine that it was I who crucified him. He would hang there moaning and I would sit opposite him eating pineapple compote. I am awfully fond of pineapple compote. Do you like it?”

Alyosha looked at her in silence. Her pale, sallow face was suddenly contorted, her eyes burned.

“You know, when I read about that Jew I shook with sobs all night. I kept fancying how the little thing cried and moaned (a child of four years old understands, you know), and all the while the thought of pineapple compote haunted me. In the morning I wrote a letter to a certain person, begging him particularly to come and see me. He came and I suddenly told him all about the child and the pineapple compote. All about it, all, and said that it was nice. He laughed and said it really was nice. Then he got up and went away. He was only here five minutes. Did he despise me? Did he despise me? Tell me, tell me, Alyosha, did he despise me or not?” She sat up on the couch, with flashing eyes.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Of the eternal questions, nothing else: is there a God, is there immortality? And those who do not believe in God will talk of socialism or anarchy, of the transformation of all humanity on a new pattern, which all comes to the same thing, they're the same questions turned inside out.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Man is broad, too broad, indeed. I'd have him narrower.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“If we're to come to love a man, the man himself should stay hidden, because as soon as he shows his face--love vanishes.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“I understand solidarity in sin among men; solidarity in retribution I also understand; but what solidarity in sin do little children have? ...And if the suffering of children goes to make up the sum of suffering needed to buy truth, then I assert beforehand that the whole of truth is not worth such a price.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“My friends, ask gladness from God. Be glad as children, as birds in the sky. And let man's sin not disturb you in your efforts, do not feat that it will dampen your endeavor and keep it from being fulfilled, do not say, "Sin is strong, impiety is strong, the bad environment is strong, and we are lonely and powerless, the bad environment will dampen us and keep our good endeavor from being fulfilled." Flee from such despondency, my children! There is only one salvation for you: take yourself up, and make yourself responsible for the sins of men.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Oh, there are those who remain proud and fierce even in hell, in spite of their certain knowledge and contemplation of irrefutable truth; there are terrible ones, wholly in communion with Satan and his proud spirit. For them hell is voluntary and insatiable; they are sufferers by their own will. For they have cursed themselves by cursing God and life. They feed on their wicked pride, as if a hungry man in the desert were to start sucking his own blood from his body. But they are insatiable unto ages of ages, and reject forgiveness, and curse God who calls to them. They cannot look upon the living God without hatred, and demand that there be no God of life, that God destroy himself and all his creation. And they will burn eternally in the fire of their wrath, thirsting for death and nonexistence. But they will not find death...”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“And in fact you're not like everyone else: you weren't ashamed just now to confess bad and even ridiculous things about yourself. Who would confess such things nowadays? No one, and people have even stopped feeling any need for self-judgment.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“And the son bursting into his father's house, killing him, and at the same time not killing him, this is not even a novel, not a poem, it is a sphinx posing riddles, which it, of course, will not solve itself. If he killed him, he killed him; how can it be that he killed him and yet did not kill him--who can understand that? Then it is announced to us that our tribune is the tribune of truth and sensible ideas, and so from this tribune of 'sensible ideas' an axiom resounds, accompanied by an oath, that to call the murder of a father parricide is simply a prejudice! But if parricide is a prejudice, and if every child ought to ask his father, 'Father, why should I love you?'--what will become of us, what will become of the foundations of society, where will the family end up? Parricide--don't you see, it's just the 'brimstone' of some Moscow merchant's wife? The most precious, the most sacred precepts concerning the purpose and future of the Russian courts are presented perversely and frivolously, only to achieve a certain end, to achieve the acquittal of that which cannot be acquitted. 'Oh, overwhelm him with mercy,' the defense attorney exclaims, and that is just what the criminal wants, and tomorrow everyone will see how overwhelmed he is! And is the defense attorney not being too modest in asking only for the defendant's acquittal? Why does he not ask that a fund be established in the parricide's name, in order to immortalize his deed for posterity and the younger generation? The Gospel and religion are corrected: it's all mysticism, he says, and ours is the only true Christianity, tested by the analysis of reason and sensible ideas. And so a false image of Christ is held up to us! With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you,' the defense attorney exclaims, and concludes then and there that Christ commanded us to measure with the same measure as it is measured to us--and that from the tribune of truth and sensible ideas! We glance into the Gospel only on the eve of our speeches, in order to make a brilliant display of our familiarity with what is, after all, a rather original work, which may prove useful and serve for a certain effect, in good measure, all in good measure! Yet Christ tells us precisely not to do so, to beware of doing so, because that is what the wicked world does, whereas we must forgive and turn our cheek, and not measure with the same measure as our offenders measure to us. This is what our God taught us, and not that it is a prejudice to forbid children to kill their own fathers. And let us not, from the rostrum of truth and sensible ideas, correct the Gospel of our God, whom the defense attorney deems worthy of being called merely 'the crucified lover of mankind,' in opposition to the whole of Orthodox Russia, which calls out to him: 'For thou art our God...!”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Where did the light come from on the first day?”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“Love it, regardless of logic as you say. It must be regardless of logic.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“And how are the other weak ones to blame, because they could not endure what the strong have endured?”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov