Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Idiot Fyodor Dostoyevsky

This last fact could, of course, reflect nothing but credit upon the general; and yet, thoughunquestionably a sagacious man, he had his own little weaknesses-very excusable ones, -one ofwhich was a dislike to any allusion to the above circumstance. He was undoubtedly clever. Forinstance, he made a point of never asserting himself when he would gain more by keeping in thebackground; and in consequence many exalted personages valued him principally for his humilityand simplicity, and because "he knew his place." And yet if these good people could only have had apeep into the mind of this excellent fellow who "knew his place" so well! The fact is that, in spite ofhis knowledge of the world and his really remarkable abilities, he always liked to appear to becarrying out other people's ideas rather than his own. And also, his luck seldom failed him, even atcards, for which he had a passion that he did not attempt to conceal. He played for high stakes, andmoved, altogether, in very varied society