Fyodor Dostoevsky was 25 when he published his 
first novel, Poor Folk, in 1846. Three years later,   he was sentenced to death in 1849 when he was 
only 28 years old. A last-minute reprieve from   the Tsar himself saved his life, but he spent 10 
years in Siberia, most of it doing hard labour. He   published Crime and Punishment in 1866 when he was 
45. Terrible gambling problem followed. In 1879, he   published his masterpiece, Brothers Karamazov, 
and died soon after in 1881 at the age of 59.   He suffered from epilepsy throughout his life. He 
wrote 12 novels, 4 novellas, and 16 short stories. Now, Dostoevsky is considered the greatest 
Russian writer along with Tolstoy,   Chekhov, and Turgenev. But none of them experienced 
life from the lowest to the highest. His novel,

Notes from the Underground is considered the first existential novel that influenced future writers such as Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, and even the psycho-analyst Sigmund Freud. In addition to being one of the greatest novelists ever, he is also studied as one of the greatest philosophers of the 19th century. His novels are centered on deeper philosophical and psychological topics. If Tolstoy was a historian and sociologist, Dostoevsky was a psychologist or archaeologist of human existential suffering and had a huge influence on the German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche. Albert Einstein said, Dostoevsky gives me more than any scientist. So what can we learn from him? In this video, I will tell you about 8 lessons we can learn from Dostoevsky. At the end, I will also tell you 5 writing or storytelling tips we can learn from him. I will also try to answer whether Dostoevsky was religious or not. Dostoevsky was born in 1821.

so exactly 200 years ago this year. Let’s begin. Lesson 1: You don't know yourself (self-knowledge). “Man is a mystery... I am studying that mystery because I want to be a human being.” Dostoevsky’s most notorious protagonist Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment is a bag of contradictions. He doesn't know what he wants and why he has committed murders. Initially, his plan is to alleviate him from poverty but he keeps talking about achieving great things like Napoleon did. Or perhaps his motivation was to prove he was extraordinary and better than others. Or it was complete madness. Before committing the murders, his mindset is clear, but after the incident, he constantly battles internally whether to confess or not. If he knew himself better, he wouldn't have committed the murders in the first place. Self-knowledge is perhaps the hardest in a world that's moving fast and we don't have time to pause.

and reflect. Sometimes we feel part of a shoal of 
fish, which makes it hard to understand our deeper motivations. So self-doubt can prevent potential 
sufferings our actions may cause others and ourselves. If Raskolnikov knew himself, he would 
have sought help before he committed the murders. Lesson 2: Don't dream too big 
(social success can be a nightmare). “The world says: You have needs -- satisfy them. 
You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; 
indeed, expand your needs and demand more. This is the worldly doctrine of today. 
And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and 
suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.” We live in a similar world where your 
worth is generally quantified by money, fame, and power. The demand on us 
all to succeed in getting wealthy.

famous and powerful is great. This was 
the case in the 19th century Russia. Not much has changed. We take bigger and bigger 
risk in achieving our projects and dreams. In a way, we want to create the kind of world we feel 
comfortable. We ask children about their dreams, but we rarely ask people what makes them happy and 
content. Capitalism needs success. At our expense. Dostoevsky depicts the archetypal modern 
dreamer in Raskolnikov who believes that not only anything is possible but you have a 
duty to make things happen. Dreams are good to have but sometimes they turn into nightmares. 
That’s what Dostoevsky is trying to warn us that no matter how successful you become, you may never 
be happy and might suffer even more as a result. Lesson 3: How suffering is necessary. “Pain and suffering are always inevitable 
for a large intelligence and a deep heart.”

Dostoevsky’s reprieve from execution had a 
profound impact on him. Then years of hard labour   in Siberia, then later on gambling addiction and 
ill health; they all gave him a fuller picture of   great suffering. In Notes From The Underground, 
his unnamed protagonist realises that our   suffering is ultimately from our belief that we 
deserve better. We dream of a society or time when   we will all be happy. We suffer from Cinderella 
syndrome. This idealism meets the brutal reality,   whether our partner, someone else, society, or even 
god or nature that stands against us and prevents   us from being happy. So we feel anger, resentment, 
and want to take revenge. In our attempt to remove   suffering, we suffer and cause suffering. Love and 
hate, pleasure and pain are intertwined in us.   In fact, suffering is necessary for us to 
appreciate happiness. “Man is a creature

that can get accustomed to anything, and I think that is the best definition of him.” Lesson 4 Rationality doesn't make us happy (reason for happiness). “Don’t let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations of them.” The scientific revolution starting in 15th century in Europe led to rationality becoming a moral doctrine for 18th century enlightenment. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant, Voltaire, and Rousseau championed rationality that could replace god and solve all human problems. Dostoevsky, however, says that humans are a lot more irrational in life, so reason alone cannot solve everything. Our anxiety in modern world is partly because we are forced or expected to be rational all the time, and conform to institutional rationalism which Kafka criticised in his novels. Our emotions determine most of what makes us happy or unhappy. Falling in love or friendship is not

always rational or calculated. Most of our big 
decisions in life may seem rational, they have a very strong emotional undercurrent. Dostoevsky 
was the first to question rationality-driven modernity. Reason alone is not enough to 
give us meaning. Nietzsche, who is famous for his criticism of rationality, acknowledges 
that Dostoevsky was the only psychologist who taught him something. For Nietzsche, art is 
profoundly emotional. Technology and science make our lives more convenient. So we are led 
to believe that we can manufacture happiness too through logical and rational formula. This is 
a mistake. “It's life that matters, nothing but life—the process of discovering, the everlasting 
and perpetual process, not the discovery itself, at all.” Happiness should come as a by-product 
of what you do. It should not be a goal. Lesson 5: We should try to be 
fools. (Consciousness is a disease.)

“The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man 
who calls himself a fool at least once a month.” Dostoevsky thought consciousness was a disease 
of the mind. It is our self-consciousness that makes us question our existence and ask why 
questions. Why am I here? Or what is my purpose? Since we don't have any solid answers for any of 
them, we develop anxiety and depression. According to Dostoevsky this is more common among the very 
intelligent people. The more one knows, the more miserable one feels. Being an idiot in Dostoevsky 
almost equates to being innocent. In his novel, The Idiot, which by the way was his own 
favourite, the main character is a simple, but good-hearted man and people mistake 
him for an idiot. In a sense, Dostoevsky tells us that too much self-examination, as 
Socrates promoted, can put immense pressure.

on us that leads us into insanity. It’s 
important to live life, not think about its meaning. Or worry about other people’s 
judgment or even Socrates for that matter. Lesson 6: We have both good and 
evil in us (moral clarity is hard). “Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; 
nothing is more difficult than to understand him.” Dostoevsky questioned the traditional idea 
of labeling some as evil and others as good as if they were born like that. For him, any 
individual human has both. Raskolnikov, despite his terrible act, deep down, is a good man. Or Sonia is 
labeled by society as a prostitute and outcast, has a good heart. In fact, we sympathize 
with Raskolnikov precisely because we see something of ourselves in him. His desire 
to be rich, successful, then his fear,

turmoil and self-torture. We tend to see people 
in black and white terms, but it’s more convoluted. Dostoevsky tells us humans are much more 
complicated than simply labelling them good and evil. We are both. No matter how good we may think 
we are, we also flawed. After the publication of his first novel, Dostoevsky’s success led to 
his radicalisation, which led to his arrest, and then ten years of hard labour. Then twenty 
years later, after his second success after the publication of works such as Crime and 
Punishment, and Notes From The Underground, he got addicted to gambling. Humans are 
neither good nor bad, but a bit of both. Lesson 7: Take individual responsibility 
(responsibility gives your life meaning). “If you want to be respected by others, 
the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect, 
will you compel others to respect you.”

Nietzsche and Camus, and other existential philosophers, were drawn to Dostoevsky because he challenges us all to take responsibility for our actions. For Dostoevsky, unlike ordinary people, many intellectuals failed to acknowledge a sense of responsibility. Raskolnikov, an intellectual, rationalizes and justifies his crime. It takes him a huge effort on the part of Sonia to realize his responsibility. It’s through responsibility that we find meaning in life. Nobody can lead you to purpose. Dostoevsky posits different ideas and philosophies and challenges you to find a path for ourselves. In today’s world, we tend to blame others for our misfortunes. Jordan Peterson tells us to clean our room first before blaming society. I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Taking responsibility for our own actions can have a ripple effect, and we can call on others to take

responsibility too. Dostoevsky says: “If you want to overcome the whole world, overcome yourself.” Lesson 8 See beauty in people when not apparent. “Judge people not by what they are, but by what they strive to become.” Dostoevsky’s experience in labour camp among the common people had a profound impact on him in understanding them. Prior to his exile in Siberia, he fought for the poor without really knowing their psychology. But after spending years with them, he understood that religion was profoundly important for the poor and uneducated. There was something beautiful in their acceptance of their guilt and wrongdoing. There is beauty in that honesty. Intellectuals, on the other hand, tried to rationalize their actions to wash their hands of any responsibility. Dostoevsky found a lot of honesty and truth at the bottom of society and a lot of hypocrisy at the top. He tells us not to judge people by their social standing, but by what they're trying to become.

Now I will tell you 5 storytelling and writing tips we can learn from Dostoevsky. Creativity ... is an integral, organic property of human nature ... It is a necessary accessory of the human spirit. It is just as legitimate in a human being like two hands, two legs, or a stomach. Tip #1 Be honest and don't avert your eyes from what’s the ugliest. Most of Dostoevsky’s novels deal with what troubles humans rather than what makes them happy. He was like an archaeologist digging deeper into human psyche to understand that makes humans tick. This way of storytelling can be very universal and timeless. That’s why Dostoevsky’s novels are still widely read and relevant because his subject matters such as guilt, existential anxiety, and fear of death never get old. People are most honest when they’re at their lowest

point in life, vulnerable, naked, and honest. 
Dostoevsky was a writer of extreme honesty. 
Tip #2: Catch your characters at their worst and darkest moment. In Notes from the Underground or Crime and Punishment, we read about people at their lowest, and worst possible nightmares or their irrational dreams. In Brothers Karamazov, four brothers have to deal with the murder of their father. Those moments of crisis stemmed from Dostoevsky’s own life, being almost executed and then spent years in the harshest conditions in Siberia. So putting your characters in a situation they dread the most and then tell their story. Or your story. 
Tip #3: Combine multiple genres, voices, ideologies to tell a better story. Dostoevsky is famous for writing the best scenes when two or more people form a very different way of seeing the world come together. Ideologies collide.

Put three enemies in the same room and also try to capture their distinct voices and convictions. Dostoevsky used the “low-brow” crime, thriller, and adventure genres to tell the profoundest and deepest psychological and philosophical novels in human history. He used comedy and social critique to tell a greatly profound story. Don’t get bogged down by genre, instead focus on the story. Tip #4: Understand human’s duality, foolishness, irrationality. Humans have both good and evil in them. To make your writing rich, make your good characters or saints do bad things and villains do good things. Dostoevsky, not only a fantastic novelist, was also a psycho-analyst. He went places nobody had dared to go, to chase human’s own demons. Dostoevsky captured 19th-century mood by writing about the impact of a godless world on humans, like children growing without parents as authority figures.

They make mistakes, make bad choices, 
and the consequences they have to face. As a result, his novels are full of chaos 
and conflict while the prose is flowing freely. Tip #5:
Fear nobody, including yourself. Dostoevsky’s writing can best be described as 
satire. He got into trouble for his writing, twice. First time he was almost killed, and 
second time he was jailed. But he remained a brutally honest writer. For Dostoevsky, 
self-censorship can be even worse. He didn't shy away from writing about his own inner 
demon. The reason he wrote all those dark characters was because he understood his own 
darkness, which can also be a form of therapy. Okay, now let me try to answer the question 
whether Dostoevsky was religious or not. I think he was a bit of both. Dostoevsky 
for the most part was a critic of

modernity. He argued that the enlightenment and 
modernity, which was human-centred morality,   had not given us a convincing alternative to god 
and religion. Science had no answers when it came   to life’s meaning or happiness. Religion, 
despite being an old and rustic tool, still   remained the trusted tool in the shed. A tool 
that has served humanity for thousands of years.   Despite being very blunt compared 
to science in understanding nature,   it still gave millions of Russians a sense of 
psychological comfort that science couldn't.   This was of course 200 years ago in Russia where 
life for the majority was a matter of survival. For sure, science had made life easier through 
medicine and technology, according to Dostoevsky,   it had failed to offer an adequate tool 
for life’s meaning. In most of his novels,   religion comes head to head with western modernity, 
and Dostoevsky is neither arguing for one or the

other. Instead, he is just letting us watch as the 
old tool combat the new tool. Perhaps personally, I think Dostoevsky was ambivalent 
towards both religion and modernity. I think he found neither to his satisfaction. 
His ultimate message was to be good, to be nice to others. Beauty for him 
was to have a good heart, a heart that was honest and free from social deception, 
but most importantly from self-deception.

Dostoevsky's Genius Life Philosophy

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