No, it is not a commonplace, sir! If up to now, for example, I have been told to 'love my neighbor, ' and I did love him, what came of it?. What came of it was that I tore my caftan in two, shared it with my neighbor, and we were both left half naked, in accordance with the Russian proverb which says: If you chase several hares at once, you won't overtake any one of them. But science says: Love yourself before all, because everything in the world is based on self-interest. If you love only yourself, you will set your affairs up properly, and your caftan will also remain in one piece. And economic truth adds that the more properly arranged personal affairs and, so to speak, whole caftans there are in society, the firmer its foundations are and the better arranged its common cause. It follows that by acquiring for everyone, as it were, and working so that my neighbor will have something more than a torn caftan, not from private, isolated generosities now, but as a result of universal prosperity. . Fyodor Dostoyevsky
About This Quote

The idea of "loving your neighbor" is one of the most important ethical principles in the world. It's also one of the principles that have been taught by many religions. Many people don't think that it's possible to love everyone in the world, but Nelson Mandela thinks that it is possible to do so. When he says that if you "love only yourself," then your affairs will be in order and you will not need to worry about your clothing. He believes that it is possible for everyone to improve their own lives and the lives of their families.

Source: Crime And Punishment

Some Similar Quotes
  1. The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things in life like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people in life recognize, that in life they... - Neil Degrasse Tyson
  2. And sometimes I believe your relentless analysis of June leaves something out, which is your feeling for her beyond knowledge, or in spite of knowledge. I often see how you sob over what you destroy, how you want to stop and just worship; and you... - Unknown
  3. The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. - Isaac Asimov
  4. I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here. - Arthur C. Clarke
  5. A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life. - Charles Darwin
More Quotes By Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  1. Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having...
  2. What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.
  3. The soul is healed by being with children.
  4. I love mankind, he said, "but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole, the less I love man in particular.
  5. To love someone means to see them as God intended them.
Related Topics