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Father Zosima quotes

A character in The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

2 quotes spoken by or about Father Zosima, each verified verbatim against the text and located in the book.

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Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others.

— Father Zosima (dialogue) · Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (1880), trans. Constance Garnett, Part I, Book II, Chapter II

Fathers and teachers, I ponder, "What is hell?" I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.

— Father Zosima (his teachings, as written down by Alyosha) · Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (1880), trans. Constance Garnett, Part II, Book VI, Chapter III

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The Brothers Karamazov

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