Notable/Famous Quotes from The Possessed

“I really believe he could not have existed without it.” — on Stepan Trofimovitch’s love of playing the persecuted idealist

“The people is the body of God. Every people is only a people so long as it has its own god.”

“Man is unhappy because he doesn’t know he’s happy. It’s only that. That’s all, that’s all!”

“He will come, and his name will be the man-god.”

“Starting from unlimited freedom, I arrive at unlimited despotism. I will add, however, that there can be no solution of the social problem but mine.”

“Shigalov is a man of genius! Do you know he is a genius like Fourier, but bolder than Fourier; stronger. I’ll look after him. He’s discovered ‘equality’!”

“We will destroy that desire; we’ll make use of drunkenness, slander, spying; we’ll make use of incredible corruption; we’ll stifle every genius in its infancy. We’ll reduce all to a common denominator! Complete equality!”

“If there is no God, then I am God.”

“If God exists, all is His will and from His will I cannot escape. If not, it’s all my will and I am bound to show self-will.”

“That’s exactly like our Russia, those devils that come out of the sick man and enter into the swine… But the sick man will be healed and ‘will sit at the feet of Jesus,’ and all will look upon him with astonishment.”

“No one is to blame, I did it myself.”