'I entered by the carriage gates in the mighty stone wall surrounding this palace, into the sweet, brilliant green of the garden. The air was filled with the smell of pines and restfulness.'Alexei Ivanovich
'There is nothing more repugnant to me than pathetically heroic sensations. There is something fatuous, something offensive in the idea of a martyr's crown.'Alexei Ivanovich
'I love passionately. I love to madness. This, perhaps, is my only weakness.'Alexei Ivanovich
'The secret of success in anything is to live in the present - and only upon the present.'Alexei Ivanovich
'At roulette, as at many other things, one must believe in one's luck.'Alexei Ivanovich
'The last and greatest blow fell - I was completely cleaned out.'Alexei Ivanovich
'A landed proprietor signifies an end to freedom, and to all lightness of heart and carelessness.'Alexei Ivanovich
'You imagine perhaps that I am in a hurry to console myself with fresh winnings, but I can assure you that you are mistaken.'Alexei Ivanovich
'It seems to me that I am still at Roulettenberg sitting in the park and staring at the fountain.'Alexei Ivanovich
'When reason fails, the devil helps!'Fyodor Dostoevsky
'In short, even if you're going to become an arch-thief or a murderer and are certain to be hanged for it, you must sit down and day after day push your pen. It's a must.'Fyodor Dostoevsky
'The greater the amount, the more dignity, value and weight the devil has.'Fyodor Dostoevsky
'I swear on my honor that to think too much is a disease, a real, actual disease.'Fyodor Dostoevsky
'The nature of a gambler is to accept even the most extraneous challenges to his skill - for they can only stimulate him, goad him on.'Fyodor Dostoevsky
'Sometimes a man will stake his last rouble, with a shaking hand, sweaty and terrified, and not knowing himself why he's doing it.'Fyodor Dostoevsky