ronnie

“And he'll supplant a man, supplant him - take his place as if he was nothing but an old rag, and never stop to think that a man's not an old rag. Oh lord, oh dear! What a misfortune...!”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Double

“Is the nature of men such, that they can reject miracle, and at the great moments of their life, the moment of their deepest, most agonizing spiritual difficulties, cling only to the free verdict of their heart?”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Grand Inquisitor

“Imaginary Africa was a cornucopia of imponderables that like the monstrous Grendel in Beowulf resisted explanation. Thus, a plethora of incompatible metaphors can be gleaned from the literature. As the original locus of the human race, Africa is ancient, yet, being under colonial control, it is also infantile. A kind of old fetus always waiting to be born but confounding all midwives. In novel after novel, short story after short story, Africa is simultaneously innocent and corrupting, savage and pure, irrational and wise.”
― Toni Morrison, The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations

“And why are you so firmly and triumphantly certain that only what is normal and positive - in short, only well-being - is good for man? Is reason mistaken about what is good? After all, perhaps prosperity isn't the only thing that pleases mankind, perhaps he is just as attracted to suffering. Perhaps suffering is just as good for him as prosperity. Sometimes a man is intensely, even passionately, attached to suffering - that is a fact. About this there is no need to consult universal history: ask yourself, if you are a man and have ever lived even in some degree. As for my own personal opinion, I find it somehow unseemly to love only well-being. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, smashing things is also sometimes very pleasant.”
― fyodor dostoevsky, Notes from Underground & The Double