--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The eldest was a musician, the second…" description: "\"“The eldest was a musician, the second painted remarkably well, but this had not been generally known till lately and had only come out accidentally. I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_critics_the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-pai_514780.jpg" --- # The eldest was a musician, the second painted remarkably… ![“The eldest was a musician, the second painted remarkably well, but this had not been generally known till lately and had only come out accidentally. In a word, a great deal was said in praise of them. But there were hostile critics. People talked with horror of the number of books they had read.” quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_critics_the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-pai_514780.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_critics_the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-pai_514780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_critics_the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-pai_514780.jpg) > ““The eldest was a musician, the second painted remarkably well, but this had not been generally known till lately and had only come out accidentally. In a word, a great deal was said in praise of them. But there were hostile critics. People talked with horror of the number of books they had read.”” [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. Talent often remains hidden until chance reveals it, yet critics may react with fear and hostility. **In simple terms:** Hidden talent surfaces; critics fear. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility and openness to criticism. Themes talent recognition criticism fear discovery Mood reflective critical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - creative work - public exhibition - peer review - media coverage - academic debate Key Concepts artistic expression social perception reputation management Questions to Reflect On - What biases affect our judgment of talent? - How do we balance praise and critique? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on criticism can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics/) [Critics People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics-people-583103/) [Eldest Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eldest-musician-4355128/) [Hostile Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostile-critics-4355127/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Second Painted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-painted-4355129/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things that strikes me is so many of the critics are people whose lifestyle doesn't change when the price of fuel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-scott/one-of-the-things-that-strikes-me-is-so-many-of-the-critics-are/) [Lee Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-scott/) > [CRITICS are people who aren't happy with themselves and love to find faults in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/critics-are-people-who-aren-t-happy-with-themselves-and-love-to-find/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I always tell people that they are really the critics. If people come three times a week to your restaurant they are the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-always-tell-people-that-they-are-really-the-critics-if-people-come/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [Critics are going to be critics, people are always going to get on your back, but as long as you go out there and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-heskey/critics-are-going-to-be-critics-people-are-always-going-to-get-on/) [Emile Heskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-heskey/) > [There was supposedly no point showing 'Nightbreed' to critics because the people who see these movies don't read reviews, in brackets, even if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/there-was-supposedly-no-point-showing-nightbreed-to-critics-because/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“For (strange as it may sound to many people, who tend to think of critics as being motivated by the lower emotions: envy, disdain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/for-strange-as-it-may-sound-to-many-people-who-tend-to-think-of/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Criticism didn't really stop us and it shouldn't ever stop anyone, because critics are only the people who can't get a record deal themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/criticism-didn-t-really-stop-us-and-it-shouldn-t-ever-stop-anyone/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [a. Critics: people who make monuments out of books. b. Biographers: people who make books out of monuments. c. Poets: people who raze monuments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/a-critics-people-who-make-monuments-out-of-books-b-biographers-people/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [Art editors and critics - people like me - have become a courtier class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hickey/art-editors-and-critics-people-like-me-have-become-a-courtier-class/) [Dave Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-hickey/) > [All over the web there are some very good critics and it's become for people who are interested. It's become a very good way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/all-over-the-web-there-are-some-very-good-critics-and-it-s-become-for/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I think something happens with age. And I find this really a lot in what I read from certain art critics: For people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-jacobs/i-think-something-happens-with-age-and-i-find-this-really-a-lot-in/) [Marc Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-jacobs/) > [I don't really care about the critics or when people talk good about me. It can't affect you. I'm one to trust myself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/i-don-t-really-care-about-the-critics-or-when-people-talk-good-about/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [Our success just flies in the face of critics or people who would rather that we just failed... because we didn't fit into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-kowalczyk/our-success-just-flies-in-the-face-of-critics-or-people-who-would/) [Ed Kowalczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-kowalczyk/) > [I don't care what critics and other people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/i-don-t-care-what-critics-and-other-people-think/) [Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/) > [It's absolutely irrelevant what galleries and critics and people who buy your paintings think. They just don't have any possible idea of what happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-resnick/it-s-absolutely-irrelevant-what-galleries-and-critics-and-people-who/) [Milton Resnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-resnick/) ## 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 Critics quotes > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) [Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [There was a cultural war going on, the '60s was going on. All the film critics were square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/there-was-a-cultural-war-going-on-the-60s-was-going-on-all-the-film/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [I get that the media wants us to play theater critics and critique every other proposal. What I'm focusing on are my own policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-get-that-the-media-wants-us-to-play-theater-critics-and-critique/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The Yippies, their lifestyle is different from mine. But I consider Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman inspired critics of the kind of society that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/the-yippies-their-lifestyle-is-different-from-mine-but-i-consider/) [David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/) > [This one goes out to all my critics: don't you feel stupid? Look how I did it. Look how it came to pass when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/this-one-goes-out-to-all-my-critics-don-t-you-feel-stupid-look-how-i/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [There's a lot of stuff I want to do, just things that I want to explore that don't involve show business. I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/there-s-a-lot-of-stuff-i-want-to-do-just-things-that-i-want-to/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/whatever-course-you-decide-upon-there-is-always-someone-to-tell-you/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [A certain type of critic doesn't really want French movies to be visual. They think movies started from books and they forgot this part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-tautou/a-certain-type-of-critic-doesn-t-really-want-french-movies-to-be/) [Audrey Tautou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-tautou/) [Browse all 2,637 Critics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The eldest was a musician, the second painted remarkably well, but this had not been generally known till lately and had only come out accidentally. In a word, a great deal was said in praise of them. But there were hostile critics. People talked with horror of the number of books they had read.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-painted-remarkably-well-but-this/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Critics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-painted-remarkably-well-but-this/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_critics_the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-pai_514780.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_critics_the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-pai_514780.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_critics_the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-pai_514780.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The eldest was a musician, the second painted remarkably well, but this had not been generally known till…” — 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": "“The eldest was a musician, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-painted-remarkably-well-but-this/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/the-eldest-was-a-musician-the-second-painted-remarkably-well-but-this/#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 } } ] } ```