The Wisdom Letter #205
3 quotes from Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881)
✹ For today’s Wisdom Letter, we have carefully curated three bite-sized quotes from the Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881), each paired with a philosophical question meant to provoke deep reflection:
Quote № 01:
“Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.”
— Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”
~ Follow-up Question:
What does it mean to “betray yourself,” and how can one recognize if they are doing so in their own life? Can the act of self-betrayal ever be justified if it is in service of others or a greater cause?
Quote № 02:
“Nothing in the world is harder than speaking the truth and nothing easier than flattery. If there’s the hundredth part of a false note in speaking the truth, it leads to a discord, and that leads to trouble. But if all, to the last note, is false in flattery, it is just as agreeable, and is heard not without satisfaction. It may be a coarse satisfaction, but still a satisfaction. And however coarse the flattery, at least half will be sure to seem true. That’s so for all stages of development and classes of society.”
— Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”
~ Follow-up Question:
Why do humans find it so challenging to speak the truth, even when honesty is widely considered virtuous? Is the difficulty rooted in fear of confrontation, a lack of self-awareness, or societal expectations, and how do these factors interact?
Quote № 03:
“All is in a man's hands and he lets it all slip from cowardice, that's an axiom. It would be interesting to know what it is men are most afraid of. Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what they fear most.”
— Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”
~ Follow-up Question:
Is the hesitation to act or speak rooted more in cowardice, as the quote suggests, or in wisdom and caution? How can one distinguish between prudent restraint and the kind of fear that leads to stagnation?
✽ Thank you for reading today’s Wisdom Letter.
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This is why Dostoevsky was such a genius, because he illustrates these contradictions as innate in humanity. We all struggle with these truths and betrayals, hopes and fears to greater or lesser degrees. What is the self to betray in the first place? Is the self set in place or ever changing? Do values change over time or remain touchstones, or both? These are moral and existential questions. When you read his books they are psychologically complex yet underscore eternal values to weigh as in a moral fable.
"Why do humans find it so challenging to speak the truth, even when honesty is widely considered virtuous? Is the difficulty rooted in fear of confrontation, a lack of self-awareness, or societal expectations, and how do these factors interact?" Because generally we are brought up to be polite, rather than truthful.