“He who loves men, loves their joy.”

“Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled.”

“Oh, yes, we'll be in chains, and there will be no freedom, but then, in our great grief, we will arise once more into joy, without which it's not possible for man to live, or for God to be, for God gives joy, it's his prerogative, a great one...Lord, let man dissolve in prayer! How would I be there underground without God? Rakitin's lying: if God is driven from the earth, we'll meet him underground! It's impossible for a convict to be without God, even more impossible than for a non-convict! And then from the depths of the earth, we, the men underground, will start singing a tragic hymn to God, in who there is joy! Hail to God and his joy! I love him!”

“My friends, God is necessary for me if only because he is the one being who can be loved eternally.”

“The more I detest men individually the more ardent becomes my love for humanity.”

“Men reject their prophets and slay them, but they love their martyrs and honor those they have slain.”

“Alyosha's heart could not bear uncertainty, for the nature of his love was always active. He could not love passively; once he loved, he immediately also began to help.”