Alexandre-dumas Quote by Alexandre Dumas
““Look, look,' cried the count, seizing the young man's hands - "look, for on my soul it is curious. Here is a man who had resigned himself to his fate, who was going to the scaffold to die - like a coward, it is true, but he was about to die without resistance. Do you know what gave him strength? - do you know what consoled him? It was, that another partook of his punishment - that another partook of his anguish - that another was to die before him. Lead two sheep to the butcher's, two oxen to the slaughterhouse, and make one of them understand that his companion will not die; the sheep will bleat for pleasure, the ox will bellow with joy. But man - man, who God created in his own image - man, upon whom God has laid his first, his sole commandment, to love his neighbour - man, to whom God has given a voice to express his thoughts - what is his first cry when he hears his fellowman is saved? A blasphemy. Honour to man, this masterpiece of nature, this king of the creation!””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Count of Monte Cristo, 1844
Shared suffering creates solidarity; witnessing another's pain can inspire compassion and purpose.
In simple terms: Seeing others suffer can give us strength.
Find purpose in shared hardship.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- war
- prison
- community support
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does shared pain teach us?
- How can we turn empathy into action?
Assumes all share the same moral framework.