Thursday, February 07, 2008

Dostoevsky on the burden of consciousness

I am strongly convinced that not only too much consciousness, but even any consciousness at all, is a sickness... For the direct, lawful, immediate fruit of consciousness is inertia- that is, a conscious sitting with folded arms... How can a man of consciousness have any respect for himself?...Consciousness, in my opinion, is man's greatest misfortune, still I know that man loves it and will not exchange it for any satisfactions.

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