Literary notes about Foolishness (AI summary)
The term "foolishness" functions as a multifaceted marker of human imperfection and societal critique in literature. Authors often employ it to reveal the paradoxical nature of human behavior—where acts deemed imprudent serve as reflections on moral and existential dilemmas. For instance, some narratives use it as a self-reflective confession of personal missteps and regrets ([1], [2]), while others invoke it in more allegorical or philosophical contexts, contrasting human wisdom with divine irony ([3], [4]). In works that explore the depths of human destiny and error—be they ancient or modern—the notion of foolishness emerges as a recurring motif that underscores both individual vulnerability and the broader social order ([5], [6], [7], [8]).
- Of course, no one is to blame for that; but I in my foolishness dislike my popularity.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - Only now I see the foolishness and impropriety of my suggestion!..."
— from Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - That which I speak, I speak not according to God: but as it were in foolishness, in this matter of glorying.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it: the instruction of fools is foolishness.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - I repeat that, because I am convinced that there is far more foolishness among us.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - And he set free from their deadly bonds the brothers of his father, sons of Heaven whom his father in his foolishness had bound.
— from Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica by Hesiod - Meanwhile Patroclus, with many a shout to his horses and to Automedon, pursued the Trojans and Lycians in the pride and foolishness of his heart.
— from The Iliad by Homer - Mr. Henchard said——” “I don't care what Mr. Henchard said, nor anybody else! 'Tis simple foolishness to do this.
— from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy