“ The first category is always the man of the present, the second the man of the future. ”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment (1867). copy citation
| Author | Fyodor Dostoyevsky |
|---|---|
| Source | Crime and Punishment |
| Topic | future present |
| Date | 1867 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Constance Garnett |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2554/2554-h/2554-h.htm |
Context
“the masses will scarcely ever admit this right, they punish them or hang them (more or less) , and in doing so fulfil quite justly their conservative vocation. But the same masses set these criminals on a pedestal in the next generation and worship them (more or less) . The first category is always the man of the present, the second the man of the future. The first preserve the world and people it, the second move the world and lead it to its goal. Each class has an equal right to exist. In fact, all have equal rights with me—and vive la guerre éternelle—till the New Jerusalem, of course!””
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