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Bluntness Quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“I love her with all my soul. Why, she is a child! She's a child now — a real child. Oh! you know nothing about it at all, I see." "And are you assured, at the same time, that you love Aglaya too?" "Yes — yes — oh; yes!" "How so? Do you want to make out that you love them BOTH?" "Yes — yes — both!…” quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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““I love her with all my soul. Why, she is a child! She's a child now — a real child. Oh! you know nothing about it at all, I see." "And are you assured, at the same time, that you love Aglaya too?" "Yes — yes — oh; yes!" "How so? Do you want to make out that you love them BOTH?" "Yes — yes — both! I do!" "Excuse me, prince, but think what you are saying! Recollect yourself!" "Without Aglaya — I — I MUST see Aglaya! — I shall die in my sleep very soon — I thought I was dying in my sleep last night. Oh! if Aglaya only knew all — I mean really, REALLY all! Because she must know ALL — that's the first condition towards understanding. Why cannot we ever know all about another, especially when that other has been guilty? But I don't know what I'm talking about — I'm so confused. You pained me so dreadfully. Surely — surely Aglaya has not the same expression now as she had at the moment when she ran away? Oh, yes! I am guilty and I know it — I know it! Probably I am in fault all round — I don't quite know how — but I am in fault, no doubt. There is something else, but I cannot explain it to you, Evgenie Pavlovitch. I have no words; but Aglaya will understand. I have always believed Aglaya will understand — I am assured she will." "No, prince, she will not. Aglaya loved like a woman, like a human being, not like an abstract spirit. Do you know what, my poor prince? The most probable explanation of the matter is that you never loved either the one or the other in reality.””

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1869

A prince confesses obsessive, contradictory love for a childlike woman, revealing his inability to truly understand or love her as a person.

In simple terms: He loves her but cannot grasp her reality.

Key Takeaway

Recognize love requires seeing the whole person, not an ideal.

Themes

love obsession misunderstanding guilt identity

Mood

conflicted intense melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • marriage
  • family dynamics
  • personal crisis
  • self‑reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology romantic idealism

Questions to Reflect On

  • Do you love the idea of someone or the person?
  • How does guilt shape our relationships?
A Different Perspective

His idealization blinds him to the other's humanity.

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