Beauty Quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky
““Yes, man is broad, too broad, indeed. I'd have him narrower. The devil only knows what to make of it! What to the mind is shameful is beauty and nothing else to the heart. Is there beauty in Sodom? Believe me, that for the immense mass of mankind beauty is found in Sodom. Did you know that secret? 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.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Brothers Karamazov, 1880
Beauty and shame coexist, reflecting humanity’s inner conflict between good and evil.
In simple terms: Beauty and shame coexist.
Key Takeaway
Embrace complexity of moral beauty.
Themes
religion
philosophy
human nature
Mood
melancholic
intense
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- art criticism
- theology
- personal ethics
- psychotherapy
Key Concepts
dualism
beauty
evil
heart
Questions to Reflect On
- Is true beauty possible without moral cost?
- How do you reconcile love and revulsion?
A Different Perspective
Beauty can be used to justify immoral acts.
