“ In order to attain to perfection, one must begin by failing to understand much. ”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot (1874). copy citation
| Author | Fyodor Dostoyevsky |
|---|---|
| Source | The Idiot |
| Topic | perfection understanding |
| Date | 1874 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Eva Martin |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2638/2638-h/2638-h.htm |
Context
“Do you know, I sometimes think it is a good thing to be odd. We can forgive one another more easily, and be more humble. No one can begin by being perfect—there is much one cannot understand in life at first. In order to attain to perfection, one must begin by failing to understand much. And if we take in knowledge too quickly, we very likely are not taking it in at all. I say all this to you—you who by this time understand so much—and doubtless have failed to understand so much, also.”
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