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Quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“One's very own free, unfettered desire, one's own whim, no matter how wild, one's own fantasy, even though sometimes roused to the point of madness -- all this constitutes precisely that previously omitted, most advantageous advantage which isn't included under any classification and because of which all systems and theories are constantly smashed to smithereens.”

Quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Work

Notes from Underground

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Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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“By its very nature, the human mind, having a long history of animal instincts, is prone to inhuman corruption. That’s why it’s easier for a human to be a racist, but harder to be a human – it’s easier for a human to be homophobic, but harder to be a human – it’s easier for a human to be promiscuous, but harder to be a human - it’s easier for a human to be an inhuman, but harder to be a human. Yes, it’s hard – yes it’s less natural, than the alternative, yet, this very unnatural, hard endeavor of the mind determines whether you and I are going to raise a society of true humans or a society of good-looking savages.”

“I have found, that we often must realise, that we cannot be angry at people for simply not being capable of stepping out of their comfort zones to be decent human beings. You are born with this wild respect for people and you think it's all equal. And that's what hurts. Because it's not all equal, not all people are going to show up for you, not all people are going to do the decent thing for you, even if it's something that would be so easy for you to do. You can never make your standard into the standard for everyone. Some people are just frogs in a mud puddle, and really, they're actually perfectly fine with that!”

“We go to great lengths to deny our animal heritage, and not just in scientific and philosophical discourse. You can glimpse the denial in the shaving of men’s faces; in clothing and other adornments; in the great lengths gone to in the preparation of meat to disguise the fact that an animal is being killed, flayed, and eaten. The common primate practice of pseudosexual mounting of males by males to express dominance is not widespread in humans, and some have taken comfort from this fact. But the most potent form of verbal abuse in English and many other languages is “Fuck you,” with the pronoun “I” implicit at the beginning. The speaker is vividly asserting his claim to higher status, and his contempt for those he considers subordinate. Characteristically, humans have converted a postural image into a linguistic one with barely a change in nuance. The phrase is uttered millions of times each day, all over the planet, with hardly anyone stopping to think what it means. Often, it escapes our lips unbidden. It is satisfying to say. It serves its purpose. It is a badge of the primate order, revealing something of our nature despite all our denials and pretensions.”