60 Fyodor Dostoyevsky Quotes That Remind You to Follow Your Dreams Even When the Road Seems Rough

These Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes will inspire you to follow your dreams, no matter how difficult it may seem in the moment.

Born in 1821, Fyodor Dostoyevsky would become one of the most prominent literary writers in nineteenth-century Russia. 

Fyodor Dostoyevsky lived a life filled with ups and downs.

After his mother’s death, Dostoyevsky left school to join the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute.

He managed to create a lucrative career for himself as an engineer and enjoyed a side hustle translating books.

Are you a fan of Dostoyevsky’s writing?

In his twenties, Dostoyevsky published his first novel, Poor Folk, but soon after he was arrested for being a member of a government banned book club.

He was sentenced to death, but at the last minute his sentence was changed, and he spent the next decade either in prison camp or serving time in the military.

When he was released, he traveled around Europe, but developed a bad gambling addition that left him in financial turmoil.

Despite his hardships, he eventually became one of the most well-known Russian writers and philosophers in the world. 

The following Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes will inspire you to continue perusing your passions, even when life gets tough.

Also read these Frederick Nietzsche quotes on life and love.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

If you want more motivational quotes, check out our motivational quotes category page.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes about love

1. “When there is love, you can live even without happiness.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

2. “The soul is healed by being with children.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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3. “But to fall in love does not mean to love. One can fall in love and still hate.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

4. “To love someone means to see them as God intended them.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

5. “The more I love humanity in general, the less I love man in particular.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

6. “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, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

7. “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 Dostoyevsky

8. “Man is sometimes extraordinarily, passionately, in love with suffering…”— Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes about pain

9. “The world says: “You have needs — satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don’t hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more.” This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

10. “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

11. “It is better to be unhappy and know the worst, than to be happy in a fool’s paradise.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

12. “There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

13. “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

14. “Sorrow compressed my heart, and I felt I would die, and then… Well, then I woke up.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

15. “Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn’t calculate his happiness.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

16. “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

17. “What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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Wise Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes

18. “The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

19. “But how could you live and have no story to tell?” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

20. “To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

21. “The darker the night, the brighter the stars.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

22. “I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

23. “The soul is healed by being with children.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

24. “It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

25. “But how could you live and have no story to tell?” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

26. “Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

27. “Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28. “Right or wrong, it’s very pleasant to break something from time to time.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

29. “Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

30. “I swear to you gentlemen, that to be overly conscious is a sickness, a real, thorough sickness.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

31. “To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

32. “The fear of appearances is the first symptom of impotence.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

33. “I can see the sun, but even if I cannot see the sun, I know that it exists. And to know that the sun is there – that is living.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

34. “You can be sincere and still be stupid.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

35. “It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them — the character, the heart, generous qualities, progressive ideas.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

36. “Beauty will save the world” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

37. “I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

38. “What do you think, would not one tiny crime be wiped out by thousands of good deeds?” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

39. “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 Dostoyevsky

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Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes about humanity

40. “I think the devil doesn’t exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

41. “If you wish to glimpse inside a human soul and get to know a man, don’t bother analyzing his ways of being silent, of talking, of weeping, of seeing how much he is moved by noble ideas; you will get better results if you just watch him laugh. If he laughs well, he’s a good man.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

42. “The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

43. “Man is a mystery. It needs to be unravelled, and if you spend your whole life unravelling it, don’t say that you’ve wasted time. I am studying that mystery because I want to be a human being.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

44. “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

45. “I love mankind, he said, “but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole, the less I love man in particular.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

46. “People speak sometimes about the “bestial” cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

47. “Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms. It’s by talking nonsense that one gets to the truth! I talk nonsense, therefore I’m human” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

48. “Don’t let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations of them.”

49. “I will not and cannot believe that evil is the normal condition of mankind.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

50. “The best definition of man is: a being that goes on two legs and is ungrateful.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

More Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes and sayings

51. “Everything passes, only truth remains.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

52. “When I look back on my past and think how much time I wasted on nothing, how much time has been lost in futilities, errors, laziness, incapacity to live; how little I appreciated it, how many times I sinned against my heart and soul-then my heart bleeds. Life is a gift, life is happiness, every minute can be an eternity of happiness.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

53. “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

54. “If you want to overcome the whole world, overcome yourself.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

55. “Life is paradise, and we are all in paradise, but we refuse to see it.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

56. “There is immeasurably more left inside than what comes out in words.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

57. “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 Dostoevsky

58. “The most offensive is not their lying – one can always forgive lying – lying is a delightful thing, for it leads to truth – what is offensive is that they lie and worship their own lying.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

59. “The greatest happiness is knowing the source of unhappiness.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

60. “It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing, but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

Do you feel inspired by these Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes?

Considered one of the greatest intellectual minds of his era, Dostoyevsky was often criticized for including too many philosophical themes in his novels.

Some of his contemporaries claimed that this made his work less artistic.

Meanwhile, other well-known great minds like Albert Einstein and Frederick Nietzsche enjoyed Dostoyevsky’s work, critically acclaiming it.  

Do you ever feel like your passion is being judged harshly by your peers?

Take a leaf from Dostoyevsky’s book.

Follow your dreams, no matter how difficult it may seem in the moment.

If you are truly dedicated to something, your passion will reflect in your work.

It is impossible to please everyone, so focus on creating work that makes you happy.

Which of these Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes and sayings is your favorite?

Let us know in the comment section below.