"Every day and every hour, every minute, examine yourself and watch over your self to make sure your appearance is seemly. You pass by a little child, you pass by spitefully, with foul language and a wrathful heart; you may not have noticed the child, but he has seen you, and your face, ugly and profane, will perhaps remain in his defensless heart. You may not know it, but you have perhaps sown an evil seed in him and it may grow, and all because you did not foster in yourself a disceet, active love.
Brothers, love is a teacher, but one must know how to aquire it, for it is aquired with difficulty, it is dearly bought, one must spend a great deal of labour and time on it, for we must love not only for a moment and fortuitously, but forever. Anyone can love by accident, even the wicked can do that. My young brother asked forgiveness of the birds; it may seem absurd, but it is right none the less, for everything, like the ocean flows, flows and comes into contact with everything else: it may be madness to beg forgiveness of the birds, but, then, it would be easier for the birds, and the child, and the animal if you were yourself more pleasant than you are now. Just a little easier anyhow."
- Fyodor Dostoyevski
The Brothers Karamazov
