Day 34 · Q1: Self-Knowledge · February 3, 2026
Pause. Breathe. Begin.
I . L E C T I O
Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov, Book VI
“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others.”
C O N T E X T
Father Zosima, the saintly elder in Dostoevsky's final novel, gives this advice to a visitor. Published in 1880, it presents self-honesty as the foundation of all morality — lose it, and everything collapses.
I I . M E D I T A T I O
“Where are you currently lying to yourself — and what would change if you stopped?”
I I I . S C R I P T I O
Write one sentence about a small lie you tell yourself daily.
I V . C O N N E X I O
Dostoevsky returns, deepening his earlier insight about hidden truths. Now self-deception is not just personal — it corrupts our capacity to see truth anywhere. How does this connect to Arendt's 'banality of evil'?
This practice exists because of readers like you.
Sustain it →Tomorrow's passage, delivered at dawn.