Zossima's Advice

Zossima's advice to Fyodor Karamazov (Part I, Book II of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov)

"...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 losses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love. And in order to distract himself without love he gives way to passions and coarse pleasures and sinks to bestiality in his vices - all this from continual lying to other men and to himself. The man who lies to himself can be easily more offended than anyone else. You know it is sometimes very pleasant to take offense, isn't it? A man may know that nobody insulted him, but that he has invented the insult for himself, has lied and exaggerated to make it picturesque, has caught at a word and make a mountain out of a molehill - he knows that himself, yet he will be the first to take offense, and will revel in his resentment till he feels great pleasure in it. And so he will pass to genuine vindictiveness."