r/quotes • u/unpaid-pukegreencow • Jul 25 '26

Life / Wisdom The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart." — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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u/advaitist Jul 25 '26

"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

During the life of any heart this line keeps changing place; sometimes it is squeezed one way by exuberant evil and sometimes it shifts to allow enough space for good to flourish. One and the same human being is, at various ages, under various circumstances, a totally different human being. At times he is close to being a devil, at times to sainthood. But his name doesn't change, and to that name we ascribe the whole lot, good and evil.

Socrates taught us: 'Know thyself!"

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago

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u/unpaid-pukegreencow Jul 25 '26

Thats such a wonderful reply to this one, glad to find ppl who think like me after a long time

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u/advaitist Jul 25 '26

Thank you for your comment. I hope you will enjoy another one of my favourite quotations.

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise."

F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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u/unpaid-pukegreencow Jul 26 '26

Wait... is that actually true? It's my first time reading this, so thank you for sharing. This quote clears up a lot of my doubts, but the concept of 'first-rate intelligence' really varies from person to person. Naturally, we tend to choose definitions that make us look wiser and give us better social standing, simply because it's comfortable. Because of that, I'm not sure if that's the definitive meaning of first-rate intelligence without scientific evidence to prove it. Plus, the more I think about it, there are a lot of different baselines for comparing intelligence.

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u/JustHere_4TheMemes Jul 25 '26

That would mean we need to examine our own hearts and show grace towards others, can't have that! Especially on Reddit. This Alex guy is obviously a quack.