--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: St. Augustine hated the Stoics…" description: "\"“St. Augustine hated the Stoics, Dostoevsky hated the Russian Liberals. At first sight this seems a quite inexplicable peculiarity. Both were convinced..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/lev-shestov-12374_augustine_st-augustine-hated-the-stoics-dostoevsky_1746052.jpg" --- # St. Augustine hated the Stoics, Dostoevsky hated the… ![“St. Augustine hated the Stoics, Dostoevsky hated the Russian Liberals. At first sight this seems a quite inexplicable peculiarity. Both were convinced Christians, both spoke so much of love, and suddenly - such hate! And against whom? Against the Stoics, who preached self-abnegation, who esteemed…” quote by Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/lev-shestov-12374_augustine_st-augustine-hated-the-stoics-dostoevsky_1746052.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/lev-shestov-12374_augustine_st-augustine-hated-the-stoics-dostoevsky_1746052.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/lev-shestov-12374_augustine_st-augustine-hated-the-stoics-dostoevsky_1746052.jpg) > ““St. Augustine hated the Stoics, Dostoevsky hated the Russian Liberals. At first sight this seems a quite inexplicable peculiarity. Both were convinced Christians, both spoke so much of love, and suddenly - such hate! And against whom? Against the Stoics, who preached self-abnegation, who esteemed virtue above all things in the world, and against the Liberals who also exalted virtue above all things! But the fact remains: Dostoevsky spoke in rage of Stassyulevitch and Gradovsky; Augustine could not be calm when he spoke the names of those pre-Stoic Stoics, Regulus and Mutius Scaevola, and even Socrates, the idol of the ancient world, appeared to him a bogey. Obviously Augustine and Dostoevsky were terrified and appalled by the mere thought of the possibility of such men as Scaevola and Gradovsky - men capable of loving virtue for its own sake, of seeing virtue as an end in itself. Dostoevsky says openly in the Diary of a Writer that the only idea capable of inspiring a man is that of the immortality of the soul.”” [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the paradox of devout Christians despising those who embody pure virtue, revealing fear of selfless moral ideals. **In simple terms:** Christians sometimes resent pure virtue. Key Takeaway Beware of fearing virtuous ideals. Themes religion philosophy psychology virtue hate Mood conflicted thoughtful Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - theological debate - personal introspection - literary analysis Key Concepts existentialism moral psychology paradox of virtue Questions to Reflect On - Why do we resent those who live solely for virtue? - How does fear of selfless ideals shape our judgments? A Different Perspective The admiration of virtue can provoke envy and anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/augustine/) [First sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-sight/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [“If he tells the truth, it is because the most reeking lie no longer intoxicates him, even though he swallow it not in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/if-he-tells-the-truth-it-is-because-the-most-reeking-lie-no-longer/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Dostoevsky does not believe his own words, and he is trying to replace a lack of faith with "feeling" and eloquence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/dostoevsky-does-not-believe-his-own-words-and-he-is-trying-to-replace/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [If Darwin had seen in life what Dostoevsky saw, he would not have talked of the law of the preservation of species, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/if-darwin-had-seen-in-life-what-dostoevsky-saw-he-would-not-have/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“But Dostoevsky does allow himself to ask just this very question: whether our reason has any right to judge between the possible and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/but-dostoevsky-does-allow-himself-to-ask-just-this-very-question/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Whether I am believed or not, I will repeat that Vladimir Soloviov, who held that Dostoevsky was a prophet, is wrong, and that N.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/whether-i-am-believed-or-not-i-will-repeat-that-vladimir-soloviov-who/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Dostoevsky's nature was two-fold, like Spinoza's, and like that of nearly all those who try to awaken humanity from its torpor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/dostoevsky-s-nature-was-two-fold-like-spinoza-s-and-like-that-of/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [Back when George W. 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I held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/then-it-happened-one-night-as-the-rain-beat-on-the-slanted-kitchen/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [“So against the grain I serve to produce events and do what’s irrational because I am commanded to. For all their indisputable intelligence, men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/so-against-the-grain-i-serve-to-produce-events-and-do-what-s/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [“He main retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp. Dostoevsky said once, 'There is only one thing that I dread: not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/he-main-retain-his-human-dignity-even-in-a-concentration-camp/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [ “\[Dostoyevsky\] eloquently proves that heartless ideas are often a source of immorality: they bring with them destructiveness, hatred, cynicism, and misanthropy. The novelist also… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-l-kline/dostoyevsky-eloquently-proves-that-heartless-ideas-are-often-a-source/) George L. Kline ## More by Lev Shestov > [“Art, science, love, inspiration, ideals—choose out all the words with which humanity is wont, or has been in the past, to be consoled or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/art-science-love-inspiration-ideals-choose-out-all-the-words-with/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“After a tragedy, a farce. Philosophy enters into her power, and the earth returns under one's feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/after-a-tragedy-a-farce-philosophy-enters-into-her-power-and-the/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“He did not want to be original; he made superhuman efforts to be like everybody else: but there is no escaping one's destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/he-did-not-want-to-be-original-he-made-superhuman-efforts-to-be-like/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“So long as the child was fed on its mother's milk, everything seemed to it smooth and easy. But when it had to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/so-long-as-the-child-was-fed-on-its-mother-s-milk-everything-seemed/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Yet, with all his acuteness, it did not occur to him that Europe was not in the least to blame for his disillusionment. 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This confession gives us the key to what is most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/they-certified-that-i-was-sane-but-i-know-that-i-am-mad-this/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“More striking still, a broken man is generally deprived of everything except the ability to acknowledge and feel his position.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/more-striking-still-a-broken-man-is-generally-deprived-of-everything/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Anton Chekhov tells the truth neither out of love or respect for the truth, nor yet because, in the Kantian manner, a high duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/anton-chekhov-tells-the-truth-neither-out-of-love-or-respect-for-the/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Even Pushkin, who could understand everything, did not grasp the real significance of Dead Souls. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/practical-advice-people-who-read-much-must-always-keep-it-in-mind/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Kada bi Darvin video u životu ono što je video Dostojevski, on ne bi govorio o zakonu samoodržanja nego o zakonu samouništenja.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/kada-bi-darvin-video-u-ivotu-ono-to-je-video-dostojevski-on-ne-bi/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) [Explore all 54 Lev Shestov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) ## More Augustine quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [ Again, I hear almost everyday from atheists who write off religion as primitive, premodern nonsense. 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Gays and lesbians stood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coretta-scott-king/for-many-years-now-i-have-been-an-outspoken-supporter-of-civil-and/) [Coretta Scott King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coretta-scott-king/) > [St. Augustine explicitly warns against a very narrow perspective that will put our faith at risk of looking ridiculous. If you step back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/st-augustine-explicitly-warns-against-a-very-narrow-perspective-that/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The fact is that philosophy has been a decisive source of inspiration in all the great crises that Europe has faced. It has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-esposito/the-fact-is-that-philosophy-has-been-a-decisive-source-of-inspiration/) [Roberto Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-esposito/) [Browse all 115 Augustine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/augustine/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“St. Augustine hated the Stoics, Dostoevsky hated the Russian Liberals. At first sight this seems a quite inexplicable peculiarity. Both were convinced Christians, both spoke so much of love, and suddenly - such hate! And against whom? Against the Stoics, who preached self-abnegation, who esteemed virtue above all things in the world, and against the Liberals who also exalted virtue above all things! But the fact remains: Dostoevsky spoke in rage of Stassyulevitch and Gradovsky; Augustine could not be calm when he spoke the names of those pre-Stoic Stoics, Regulus and Mutius Scaevola, and even Socrates, the idol of the ancient world, appeared to him a bogey. Obviously Augustine and Dostoevsky were terrified and appalled by the mere thought of the possibility of such men as Scaevola and Gradovsky - men capable of loving virtue for its own sake, of seeing virtue as an end in itself. 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