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Quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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Notes from Underground

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Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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“The noble Robespierre dreams his enchanting dreams of power ... he is not content to direct the will of the masses: he wants to dominate men to their marrowbones, to transform every individual by force into his paper ideal — every country abounds in such bloody Christ-like maniacs. But I, my child, know human nature. Instead of senselessly fighting it, I pamper it. That's the secret of my power. It is enough for me to speak three wisely chosen words, and whole crowds follow me, listen to me, and adore me. — And he — at the price of horrible effort sometimes forces the people to submission ... for a short while, after which there is a reaction: ever greater fear and deadly hidden hate.”

Human Nature
Book:The Danton Case and Thermidor: Two Plays
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“Clover is incapable of not nurturing. It can’t do anything but nurture. Shakyamuni is capable of not nurturing. With a poisonous thought, he is a poisonous person. With an enlightened thought, he is an enlightened person. With his great realization, he is unlikely to slip back into poisonous ways, but he could, for he is human.”

Human NatureBuddhismEnlightenment
Book:The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics
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