---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...in my opinion miracles will never…"
description: "\"“...in my opinion miracles will never confound a realist. It is not miracles that bring a realist to faith. A true realist, if he is not a believer, wi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_believe-in-miracles_in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confou_1062657.jpg"
---

#  ...in my opinion miracles will never confound a realist…

![“...in my opinion miracles will never confound a realist. It is not miracles that bring a realist to faith. A true realist, if he is not a believer, will always find in himself the strength and ability not to believe in miracles as well, and if a miracle stands before him as an irrefutable fact, he…” quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_believe-in-miracles_in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confou_1062657.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_believe-in-miracles_in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confou_1062657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_believe-in-miracles_in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confou_1062657.jpg)

> ““...in my opinion miracles will never confound a realist. It is not miracles that bring a realist to faith. A true realist, if he is not a believer, will always find in himself the strength and ability not to believe in miracles as well, and if a miracle stands before him as an irrefutable fact, he will sooner doubt his own senses than admit the fact. And even if he does admit it, he will admit it as a fact of nature that was previously unknown to him. In the realist, faith is not born from miracles, but miracles from faith. Once the realist comes to believe, then, precisely because of his realism, he must also allow for miracles. The Apostle Thomas declared that he would not believe until he saw, and when he saw, he said: "My Lord and My God!" Was it the miracle that made him believe? Most likely not, but he believed first and foremost because he wished to believe, and maybe already fully believed in his secret heart even as he was saying: "I will not believe until I see.””

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A realist does not need miracles to believe; belief precedes evidence, and once belief exists, miracles can be accepted as natural discoveries.

**In simple terms:** Belief comes first, miracles follow.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate belief before seeking proof.

Themes

faith realism miracles perception skepticism

Mood

contemplative inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- scientific discovery
- spiritual awakening
- intellectual debate

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology theology

Questions to Reflect On

- What belief would you hold without evidence?
- How do you balance doubt and faith?

A Different Perspective

Even a realist may rationalize miracles, risking self‑deception.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Believe in miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-miracles/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith Realist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-realist-1550264/) [Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles/) [Miracles Confound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles-confound-2604302/) [Realist Believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realist-believer-2604301/) [Realist Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realist-faith-2604299/) [Realist Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realist-miracles-2604300/)

## Related quotes

> [In the realist, faith is not born from miracles, but miracles from faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/in-the-realist-faith-is-not-born-from-miracles-but-miracles-from-faith/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [“It is not miracles that dispose realists to belief. The genuine realist, if he is an unbeliever, will always find strength and ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/it-is-not-miracles-that-dispose-realists-to-belief-the-genuine/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“To my thinking, miracles are never a stumbling block to the realist. It is not miracles that dispose realists to belief...Faith does not, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/to-my-thinking-miracles-are-never-a-stumbling-block-to-the-realist-it/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [Faith does not, in the realist, spring from the miracle but the miracle from faith. If the realist once believes, then he is bound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/faith-does-not-in-the-realist-spring-from-the-miracle-but-the-miracle/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [“A dreamer is a realist with faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-dennish/a-dreamer-is-a-realist-with-faith/)

[Anne Dennish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-dennish/)

> [people who believe in miracles do not make much fuss when they actually encounter one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/people-who-believe-in-miracles-do-not-make-much-fuss-when-they/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [Believe in miracles but don't depend on them. When you hear kind word spoken about a friend, tell him so. Spoil your spouse, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/believe-in-miracles-but-don-t-depend-on-them-when-you-hear-kind-word/)

[H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/)

> [“The Shooting Star Charm To Be Lucky in Love, You Must First Believe in Miracles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-shipman/the-shooting-star-charm-to-be-lucky-in-love-you-must-first-believe-in/)

[Viola Shipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-shipman/)

> [I don't know that I believe in the supernatural, but I do believe in miracles, and our time together was filled with the events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-don-t-know-that-i-believe-in-the-supernatural-but-i-do-believe-in/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [“Yet, with all his acuteness, it did not occur to him that Europe was not in the least to blame for his disillusionment. Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/yet-with-all-his-acuteness-it-did-not-occur-to-him-that-europe-was/)

[Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/)

> [The miracle of life is enough for me to believe in miracles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-d-williams/the-miracle-of-life-is-enough-for-me-to-believe-in-miracles/)

[Anthony D. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-d-williams/)

> [Miracles do happen. You must believe this. No matter what else you believe about life, you must believe in miracles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/miracles-do-happen-you-must-believe-this-no-matter-what-else-you/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [I believe in Green, I believe that laughing is the best calories burner. I believe in being strong when everything seems to go wrong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-believe-in-green-i-believe-that-laughing-is-the-best-calories/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“Ask big. Believe big. Get Ready, it's coming!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/ask-big-believe-big-get-ready-it-s-coming/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [“If you do not believe in miracles they cannot happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-kalivoda/if-you-do-not-believe-in-miracles-they-cannot-happen/)

[Helena Kalivoda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-kalivoda/)

## More by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

> [“Beauty is not only a terrible thing, it is also a mysterious thing. There God and the Devil strive for mastery, and the battleground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/beauty-is-not-only-a-terrible-thing-it-is-also-a-mysterious-thing/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“Listen! I know it's not right to talk. Better to set an example, better to just start - I have already started - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/listen-i-know-it-s-not-right-to-talk-better-to-set-an-example-better/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“When all are undressed, one is somehow not ashamed, but when one's the only one undressed and everybody is looking, it's degrading,' he kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/when-all-are-undressed-one-is-somehow-not-ashamed-but-when-one-s-the/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“The morning was so damp and misty”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/the-morning-was-so-damp-and-misty/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“I repeat, I repeat with emphasis: all "direct" persons and men of action are active just because they are stupid and limited. How explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-repeat-i-repeat-with-emphasis-all-direct-persons-and-men-of-action/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“He is a man of intelligence, but to act sensibly, intelligence is not enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/he-is-a-man-of-intelligence-but-to-act-sensibly-intelligence-is-not/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [ “if \[God\] doesn't exist, man is the chief of the earth, of the universe. Magnificent! Only how is he going to be good without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/if-god-doesn-t-exist-man-is-the-chief-of-the-earth-of-the-universe/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“From an encounter in 1862... “Dickens told me,” Dostoyevsky recalled in a letter written years later, “that all the good, simple people in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/from-an-encounter-in-1862-dickens-told-me-dostoyevsky-recalled-in-a/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“It must be the top drawer," he reflected. "So she carries the keys in a pocket on the right. All in one bunch on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/it-must-be-the-top-drawer-he-reflected-so-she-carries-the-keys-in-a/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“- You take evil for good. It's a passing crisis. It's the result of your illness, perhaps. - You do despise me! It's simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/you-take-evil-for-good-it-s-a-passing-crisis-it-s-the-result-of-your/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“Clouds overlaid the sky as with a shroud of mist, and everything looked sad, rainy, and threatening under a fine drizzle which was beating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/clouds-overlaid-the-sky-as-with-a-shroud-of-mist-and-everything/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“People who can speak well, speak briefly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/people-who-can-speak-well-speak-briefly/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“I think I could stand anything, any suffering, only to be able to say and to repeat to myself every moment, 'I exist.' In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-think-i-could-stand-anything-any-suffering-only-to-be-able-to-say/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“There is no more ceaseless or tormenting care for man, as long as he remains free, than to find someone to bow down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/there-is-no-more-ceaseless-or-tormenting-care-for-man-as-long-as-he/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

[Explore all 1,078 Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

## More Believe in miracles quotes

> [“If you do not believe in miracles they cannot happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-kalivoda/if-you-do-not-believe-in-miracles-they-cannot-happen/)

[Helena Kalivoda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-kalivoda/)

> [“Ask big. Believe big. Get Ready, it's coming!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/ask-big-believe-big-get-ready-it-s-coming/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [I believe in Green, I believe that laughing is the best calories burner. I believe in being strong when everything seems to go wrong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-believe-in-green-i-believe-that-laughing-is-the-best-calories/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Miracles do happen. You must believe this. No matter what else you believe about life, you must believe in miracles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/miracles-do-happen-you-must-believe-this-no-matter-what-else-you/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [The miracle of life is enough for me to believe in miracles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-d-williams/the-miracle-of-life-is-enough-for-me-to-believe-in-miracles/)

[Anthony D. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-d-williams/)

> [“Yet, with all his acuteness, it did not occur to him that Europe was not in the least to blame for his disillusionment. Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/yet-with-all-his-acuteness-it-did-not-occur-to-him-that-europe-was/)

[Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/)

> [I don't know that I believe in the supernatural, but I do believe in miracles, and our time together was filled with the events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-don-t-know-that-i-believe-in-the-supernatural-but-i-do-believe-in/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [“The Shooting Star Charm To Be Lucky in Love, You Must First Believe in Miracles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-shipman/the-shooting-star-charm-to-be-lucky-in-love-you-must-first-believe-in/)

[Viola Shipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-shipman/)

> [Believe in miracles but don't depend on them. When you hear kind word spoken about a friend, tell him so. Spoil your spouse, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/believe-in-miracles-but-don-t-depend-on-them-when-you-hear-kind-word/)

[H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/)

> [people who believe in miracles do not make much fuss when they actually encounter one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/people-who-believe-in-miracles-do-not-make-much-fuss-when-they/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [There is only one reason an intelligent person doesn't believe in miracles. He or she believes in materialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/there-is-only-one-reason-an-intelligent-person-doesn-t-believe-in/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [There's a reason why I'm here, and it's not just for me. It's not just because of my will and my dream, it's more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicente-luque/there-s-a-reason-why-i-m-here-and-it-s-not-just-for-me-it-s-not-just/)

[Vicente Luque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicente-luque/)

> [Anyone who does not believe in miracles is not a realist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-who-does-not-believe-in-miracles-is-not-a-realist/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-in-pink-i-believe-that-laughing-is-the-best-calorie-burner/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I believe in miracles. I believe in God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/i-believe-in-miracles-i-believe-in-god/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

[Browse all 134 Believe in miracles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-miracles/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...in my opinion miracles will never confound a realist. It is not miracles that bring a realist to faith. A true realist, if he is not a believer, will always find in himself the strength and ability not to believe in miracles as well, and if a miracle stands before him as an irrefutable fact, he will sooner doubt his own senses than admit the fact. And even if he does admit it, he will admit it as a fact of nature that was previously unknown to him. In the realist, faith is not born from miracles, but miracles from faith. Once the realist comes to believe, then, precisely because of his realism, he must also allow for miracles. The Apostle Thomas declared that he would not believe until he saw, and when he saw, he said: \"My Lord and My God!\" Was it the miracle that made him believe? Most likely not, but he believed first and foremost because he wished to believe, and maybe already fully believed in his secret heart even as he was saying: \"I will not believe until I see.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confound-a-realist-it-is-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believe in miracles"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confound-a-realist-it-is-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_believe-in-miracles_in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confou_1062657.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_believe-in-miracles_in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confou_1062657.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_believe-in-miracles_in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confou_1062657.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...in my opinion miracles will never confound a realist. It is not miracles that bring a realist to faith. A…” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...in my opinion miracles will never...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confound-a-realist-it-is-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/in-my-opinion-miracles-will-never-confound-a-realist-it-is-not/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
