Reflections of a Russian Statesman |
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abstract action ancient Anglican appanage appear aspiration atheism attain authority autocracy awaken become believe casuistry Christ Christian Church conception condemn conscience consciousness constitute convictions Darwin destroy doctrine duty election established eternal everywhere evil existence expressed faith false falsehood feel force formulas freedom Glaucon grosh happiness human soul ideal ideas ignorance impulses infinite inspired instincts institutions intellect justice knowledge Laïs living marriage mass master ment Messalina mind moral multitude nature needs never newsvendors Nicander opinions organised Parliament party passion Peer Gynt phrases political practical principles prophet Protestantism Ptolemaic system questions realisation reason recognise reform reject relations religion religious Russian seek sentiments separation of Church simple Sir Henry Maine social society Socrates soul sphinx spiritual strange strength strive struggle subordinates terrible theory things thou thought tion to-day truth unhappily vanity violence words
Popular passages
Page 167 - But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
Page 170 - The essence of religion is the strong and earnest direction of the emotions and desires towards an ideal object, recognized as of the highest excellence, and as rightfully paramount over all selfish objects of desire.
Page 164 - The more our thoughts widen and deepen, as the universe grows upon us and we become accustomed to boundless space and time, the more petrifying is the contrast of our own insignificance, the more contemptible become the pettiness, shortness, fragility of the individual life.
Page 164 - The whole moral world is reduced to a point, the spiritual city, ' the goal of all the saints' dwindles to the 'least of little stars'; good and evil, right and wrong, become infinitesimal, ephemeral matters, while eternity and infinity remain attributes of that only which is outside the realm of morality. Life becomes more intolerable the more we know and discover, so long as 'everything widens and deepens except our own duration, and that remains as pitiful as ever. The affections die away in a...
Page 65 - It is true that the new journal becomes a power only when it is sold on the market — that is, when it circulates among the public. For this talent is needed, and the matter published must be attractive and congenial for the readers. Here, we might think, was some guarantee of the moral value of the undertaking — men of talent will not serve a feeble or contemptible editor or publisher ; the public will not support a newspaper which is not a faithful echo of public opinion. This guarantee is fictitious....
Page 170 - To call these sentiments by the name morality, exclusively of any other title, is claiming too little for them. They are a real religion ; of which, as of other religions, outward good works (the utmost meaning usually suggested by the word morality) are only a part, and are indeed rather the fruits of tho religion than the religion itself.
Page 169 - When we consider how ardent a sentiment, in favourable circumstances of education, the love of country has become, we cannot judge it impossible that the love of that larger country, the world, may lie nursed into similar strength, both as a source of elevated emotion and as a principle of duty.
Page 254 - But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Page 32 - ... principle which has unhappily become more firmly established since the time of the French Revolution. Thence proceeds the theory of Parliamentarism, which, up to the present day, has deluded much of the so-called "intelligence," and unhappily infatuated certain foolish Russians. It continues to maintain its hold on many minds with the obstinacy of a narrow fanaticism, although every day its falsehood is exposed more clearly to the world.
Page 59 - ... man or of a limited number of men, and of founding directions to its instruments upon them. The fact that what is called the will of the people really consists in their adopting the opinion of one person or a few persons, admits of a very convincing illustration from experience. Popular government and popular justice were originally the same thing. The ancient democracies devoted much more time and attention to the exercise of civil and criminal jurisdiction, than to the administration of their...