A quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky:

[kentuck]

"A man who lies to himself, and believes his own lies becomes unable to recognize truth, either in himself or anyone else, and he ends up losing respect for himself and for others. When he has no respect for anyone, he can no longer love, and, in order to divert himself, having no love in him, he yields to his impulses, indulges in the lowest forms of pleasure, and behaves in the end like an animal. And it all comes from lying -- lying to others and to yourself." --

Fyodor Dostoevsky

[leftieNanner]

1. Perfect Description of TFG

I used to wonder how he could lie so constantly - and whether he could keep track of those lies. But he doesn't care at all. Lies are just a means to an end for him.

Thanks for sharing this kentuck.

[krkaufman]

38. the whole of them

Seems to fit much of the whole of the GOP base as it's evolved to what it is now.

[Goonch]

2. 👇👇👇👁️👁️

[Warpy]

27. And Putin and any other man who loves power more than he loves anything else

and tries to cling to it long after everyone else realizes he's lost his grip on reality.

[Walleye]

3. When Trump first came on the scene John Dean was asked what would bring him down,he said the lying

[EarnestPutz]

4. Perfect. When John Dean testified before the Watergate Committee years ago, he proved...

....to be the smartest of the gang at the White House. Everything he has said over the years has also been pretty damn accurate.

[Susan Calvin]

5. I don't know, I think there's a libel of animals in there. nt

[SleeplessinSoCal]

6. Do we know what literary work this quote this from?

It also describes my sister's decent.

Mind you she didn't run her father's business and pose as other people to frame his own narrative.

[kentuck]

8. I haven't read it, but I think it may be from The Brothers Karamazov?

[SleeplessinSoCal]

23. It's so sad that a human trait got weaponized by Russians.

All those troll farms that celebrated HRC's defeat got so much more - all that could end our democracy in one man.

We once seemed to have a collective common sense. I believed that until after 9/11. That event seemed to shake us more than we imagined.

[kentuck]

24. I believe that what doesn't break you...

...can make you stronger. I hope that to be the case.

[usonian]

9. The internet says: The Brothers Karamazov

[twodogsbarking]

11. But wait there's more. "The man who lies to himself can be more easily offended than anyone."

From the same.

[usonian]

13. Dostoevsky had great insight into human nature.

[Jean Genie]

7. Perfect quote

Except, I don't really think animals lie. That seems to be a very "person activity;"
Unfortunately.

[CharleyDog]

12. yes, with non-human animals you get what you see, a crocodile will drown you, a dog will love you

Unfortunately, Republicans are getting strong animal messages to "be like Mr. Trump" - let your id run wild. Indulge in your hatred and racism. Ron wants to be like Mr. Trump and he called for "slitting throats."

"https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/3/2185138/-We-are-the-enemy-they-want-to-kill

After those Black Flag messages on TV yesterday, I believe the lowest form of pleasures the Republicans are looking forward to - is indulge in Civil War. They are being led to believe they must use force to "win.

[usonian]

14. It's a cult. Violence is all they have left.

But violence is illegal and will be prosecuted as long as dedicated police and military forces remain loyal to the Constitution.

He tried mightily to corrupt them but failed.

Fascist playbook. Appendix A. Failure modes.

[CharleyDog]

17. why I'm so glad the J6ers are prosecuted, and Mr. Trump finally has to face facts

Mr. Trump facing facts in court makes more MAGAts face facts, and some might wake up?

I love how the news cycle is again on the criminals of J6, with a lot more truth is time (thanks Mr. Pence) and hours of discussion of ALL the crimes of Mr. Not-a-king.

[usonian]

18. The cult expected not only to be pardoned, but field-promoted.

[twodogsbarking]

10. A Russian. How fitting.

[yonder]

20. +1. Ironic, isn't it?

[Joinfortmill]

33. 👍

[Snackshack]

15. Gesus

…phucking Christ that is uncanny. Every letter is exactly the right one.

[gab13by13]

16. Well, I know a quote from someone famous too,

"Who are you going to believe, me, or your lying eyes." Groucho Marx.

[Joinfortmill]

32. 👍

[mgardener]

19. Have used this quote

When responding to people on twitter

[bmichaelh]

21. Dream of a Ridiculous Man

Dostoyevsky is still relevant for this age.

He also wrote a great short story Dream of a Ridiculous Man.
In it the protagonist, is in a paradise.
He teaches the people in the paradise to lie.
Havoc ensues.

In regard to cults, he wrote a book that has been translated as either Demons or The Possessed.
He shows mass psychosis.

[Duppers]

35. The trump cult.

...and religion.

[kentuck]

22. We can never understand the degree of corrosiveness on the soul of a nation...

...when its leaders lie as a means to manipulate and control their actions.

[Stuart G]

25. BRILLIANT QUOTE...THANK YOU FOR FINDING THIS....kentuck..

A brilliant quote, found by someone who is ALSO ....BRILLIANT!!!...

[kentuck]

26. I probably found it on DU someplace...

[Blue Owl]

28. K&R

[anamnua]

29. George Orwell's '1984'

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

[Martin68]

30. Fyodor knew whereof he spoke and wrote. Crime and Punishment. The Idiot.

Guess who's the idiot in this scenario...

[Joinfortmill]

31. Sounds like Trump.

[Duppers]

34. He later added....

"Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others."

Like most of us, I think trump is delusional.

[bucolic_frolic]

36. Dostoevsky was pure thought in a period of great Russian psychological novels

In college times I read "The Idiot" and "Crime and Punishment". Dad thought I was becoming a pinko commie. I wish I had kept up with the literary pursuits. I set about writing every so often, and while I'm pretty good at it, there's not enough there to construct a novel easily. Dostoevsky probed the deep psychological reasons behind what we did, thought, how we perceived others, what they thought of us, a regression from reality into the mind. It must have made some sense to me because I never lost it. How much good it's done me could be argued. lol

[jaxexpat]

37. Interesting, similarly, I had a time wherein I read all the Dostoevsky I could find.....

and for much the same reason, I think it was very enlightening to better understand the mechanisms of my own psychology.

[BComplex]

39. Thanks for sharing this, Kentuck. Very timely!

Dostoevsky was definitely a word master and seer.

[bmichaelh]

40. X-Files

The season 3 finale of X-Files was influenced by Brothers Karamazov

There is a scene inspired by the Grand Inquisitor interrogating Christ.
But in the episode, the interrogator is the Cigarette Smoking Man and Jeremiah Smith was the one in prison.