“ Tragic phrases comfort the heart.... Without them, sorrow would be too heavy for men to bear. ”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (1880). copy citation
| Author | Fyodor Dostoyevsky |
|---|---|
| Source | The Brothers Karamazov |
| Topic | words tragedy sorrow |
| Date | 1880 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Constance Garnett |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28054/28054-h/28054-h.html |
Context
“floated whirling through Alyosha's mind. «There is happiness for her, too…. She has gone to the feast…. No, she has not taken the knife…. That was only a tragic phrase…. Well … tragic phrases should be forgiven, they must be. Tragic phrases comfort the heart…. Without them, sorrow would be too heavy for men to bear. Rakitin has gone off to the back alley. As long as Rakitin broods over his wrongs, he will always go off to the back alley…. But the high road … The road is wide and straight and bright as crystal, and the sun is at the end of it….”
source
Meaning and analysis
