---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet man is sometimes a very strange…"
description: "\"“Yet man is sometimes a very strange being. By all the Saints, he will talk of doing things, yet leave them undone, and remain looking the kind of fool..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_doing-things_yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-bein_2828345.jpg"
---

#  Yet man is sometimes a very strange being. By all the…

![“Yet man is sometimes a very strange being. By all the Saints, he will talk of doing things, yet leave them undone, and remain looking the kind of fool from whom may the Lord preserve us!” quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_doing-things_yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-bein_2828345.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_doing-things_yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-bein_2828345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_doing-things_yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-bein_2828345.jpg)

> ““Yet man is sometimes a very strange being. By all the Saints, he will talk of doing things, yet leave them undone, and remain looking the kind of fool from whom may the Lord preserve us!””

[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.

Humans often intend to act but fail to follow through, appearing foolish.

**In simple terms:** People talk, then don’t act.

Key Takeaway

Translate intentions into actions.

Themes

procrastination faith human folly

Mood

critical reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- project management
- personal development

Key Concepts

ethical philosophy behavioral psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What stops you from acting?
- How can you avoid being a fool?

A Different Perspective

Intent alone isn’t enough.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) [Fool Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-lord-2118413/) [Man Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-strange-988291/) [Saints Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saints-talk-3639625/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange Saints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-saints-3639624/)

## Related quotes

> [“For he was the Fool now, all of Lord Chance and Lady Amber and Lord Golden scraped away by sorrow. He was no one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/for-he-was-the-fool-now-all-of-lord-chance-and-lady-amber-and-lord/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [Man's being is made of such strange stuff as to be partly akin to nature and partly not, at once natural and extranatural, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/man-s-being-is-made-of-such-strange-stuff-as-to-be-partly-akin-to/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [An honest man is strange when he is among dishonest men, but it is a good kind of strangeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/an-honest-man-is-strange-when-he-is-among-dishonest-men-but-it-is-a/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [“The simplest truth about man is that he is a very strange being; almost in the sense of being a stranger on the earth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-simplest-truth-about-man-is-that-he-is-a-very-strange-being/)

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

> [You took a quarter century off my age with that kidnapping stunt. No more going off with a strange men, hear me? -"You're a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherry-adair/you-took-a-quarter-century-off-my-age-with-that-kidnapping-stunt-no/)

[Cherry Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherry-adair/)

> [Misery acquaints a man with strange bed-fellows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/misery-acquaints-a-man-with-strange-bed-fellows/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [The creature called man has a strange history. He is not of one piece, nor was he born of a single moment in time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-creature-called-man-has-a-strange-history-he-is-not-of-one-piece/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/misery-acquaints-a-man-with-strange-bedfellows/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“But if he has lost the sane vision, he can only get it back by something very like a mad vision; that is, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/but-if-he-has-lost-the-sane-vision-he-can-only-get-it-back-by/)

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

> [“Man is a strange animal, he doesn't like to read the handwriting on the wall until his back is up against it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-a-strange-animal-he-doesn-t-like-to-read-the-handwriting-on/)

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

> [Man is a strange animal. He generally cannot read the handwriting on the wall until his back is up against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson-2/man-is-a-strange-animal-he-generally-cannot-read-the-handwriting-on/)

[Adlai E Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson-2/)

> [A familiar name cannot make a man less strange to me. It may be given to a savage who retains in secret his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-familiar-name-cannot-make-a-man-less-strange-to-me-it-may-be-given/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“Not every man in a strange land is a stranger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-a-adebodun/not-every-man-in-a-strange-land-is-a-stranger/)

[Joshua A Adebodun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-a-adebodun/)

> [“To begin with, at home I spent most of my time reading. I wanted to stifle all that was continuously boiling up inside me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/to-begin-with-at-home-i-spent-most-of-my-time-reading-i-wanted-to/)

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

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

## 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 Doing things quotes

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/)

[Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/)

> [“Standards are just the most accepted ways of doing things. They're usually unquestioned, not challenged, not the most efficient, and not the best way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-otton/standards-are-just-the-most-accepted-ways-of-doing-things-they-re/)

[Rick Otton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-otton/)

> [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Either you let your life slip away by not doing the things you want to do, or you get up &amp; do them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-von-oech/either-you-let-your-life-slip-away-by-not-doing-the-things-you-want/)

[Roger von Oech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-von-oech/)

> [Life is all about doing things you like and being surrounded by people you like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-cassandra/life-is-all-about-doing-things-you-like-and-being-surrounded-by/)

[Regina Cassandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-cassandra/)

> [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [I'm closer to being happy. I'm doing things that make me happy. In football I loved to practice and I loved to play, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-m-closer-to-being-happy-i-m-doing-things-that-make-me-happy-in/)

[Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/)

> [“If you aren't in love, Willow Vaughn, then my name isn't Miriam Brigham." Willow started out of her daydreaming and glanced up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/if-you-aren-t-in-love-willow-vaughn-then-my-name-isn-t-miriam-brigham/)

[Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/)

> [The story being told in 'Star Wars' is a classic one. Every few hundred years, the story is retold because we have a tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/the-story-being-told-in-star-wars-is-a-classic-one-every-few-hundred/)

[George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/)

> [When you study history and look at every civilization that has grown up and died off, they all leave one remnant: a major sports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-study-history-and-look-at-every-civilization-that-has-grown/)

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

> [Well I think that what we're seeing now is that the people feel like they, the people in Congress don't have their consent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/well-i-think-that-what-we-re-seeing-now-is-that-the-people-feel-like/)

[Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/)

> [It's sad that women characters have lost so much ground in popular movies. Didn't 'Thelma and Louise' prove that women want to see women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-quivers/it-s-sad-that-women-characters-have-lost-so-much-ground-in-popular/)

[Robin Quivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-quivers/)

> [I spent a lot of my life schlepping around New York with people not doing things for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-gibson/i-spent-a-lot-of-my-life-schlepping-around-new-york-with-people-not/)

[Debbie Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-gibson/)

> [This is your life do wat you love, and do it often. if you don't like something, change it. if you don't like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiea/this-is-your-life-do-wat-you-love-and-do-it-often-if-you-don-t-like/)

[Amiea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiea/)

[Browse all 1,822 Doing things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Yet man is sometimes a very strange being. By all the Saints, he will talk of doing things, yet leave them undone, and remain looking the kind of fool from whom may the Lord preserve us!”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-being-by-all-the-saints-he-will/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doing things"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-being-by-all-the-saints-he-will/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_doing-things_yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-bein_2828345.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_doing-things_yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-bein_2828345.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_doing-things_yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-bein_2828345.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Yet man is sometimes a very strange being. By all the Saints, he will talk of doing things, yet leave them…” — 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": "“Yet man is sometimes a very...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-being-by-all-the-saints-he-will/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/yet-man-is-sometimes-a-very-strange-being-by-all-the-saints-he-will/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
