Crime and Punishment : Quotations
Crime and Punishment is a notable literary work by Fyodor Dostoevsky. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Crime and Punishment.
Quotations
Quotes
“I shall strike her on the head, split her skull open.” – (Crime and Punishment – Raskolnikov, Part I, Chapter V)
Explanation (English): Raskolnikov imagines the violent act against the old pawnbroker. This thought shows his disturbed mind and his growing obsession with murder. It marks the turning point from fantasy to a real plan.
“He killed them with an axe he brought with him.” – (Crime and Punishment – Narrator about Raskolnikov, Part I, Chapter V)
Explanation (English): The narrator reports the brutal murder of the pawnbroker and Lizaveta. The axe is a symbol of premeditation. This moment makes Raskolnikov truly guilty and changes the course of the novel.
“He looked at Sonia and felt how great was her love for him.” – (Crime and Punishment – Narrator about Raskolnikov, Part V, Chapter IV)
Explanation (English): In this moment, Raskolnikov realizes Sonia’s unconditional love. Her compassion contrasts with his guilt. It begins his path to spiritual awakening and confession.
“No, it was you, you Rodion Romanovitch, and no one else.” – (Crime and Punishment – Porfiry Petrovitch, Part VI, Chapter II)
Explanation (English): Porfiry directly accuses Raskolnikov. This moment shows Porfiry’s psychological skill. He corners Raskolnikov, making denial impossible.
“Say to all men aloud, ‘I am a murderer!’” – (Crime and Punishment – Sonia, Part V, Chapter IV, Sonia urging Raskolnikov to confess).
Explanation (English): Sonia urges Raskolnikov to publicly confess his crime at the crossroads as an act of repentance and spiritual cleansing. She believes confession and suffering will bring him moral and spiritual rebirth.
“I have come for your cross, Sonia.” – (Crime and Punishment – Raskolnikov, Part VI, Chapter VIII: Raskolnikov to Sonia when he brings/asks about crosses).
Explanation (English): Raskolnikov says he has come to take the cross Sonia offered — a symbol that he accepts suffering. The line is spoken with a mask of irony but indicates his move toward accepting suffering/expiation.
“My daughter Sofya Semyonovna has been forced to take a yellow ticket.” – (Crime and Punishment – Marmeladov telling Raskolnikov, Part I, Chapter II: Marmeladov’s confession about Sonia).
Explanation (English): Marmeladov explains that his daughter Sonia was driven by poverty and circumstances to prostitution (the “yellow ticket”). This shows the family’s extreme misery and Sonia’s sacrifice for them.
“Extraordinary men have a right to commit any crime.” – (Crime and Punishment – Raskolnikov, Part III, Chapter V).
Explanation (English): This is the controversial theory (ascribed to Raskolnikov’s article) that “extraordinary” people may overstep moral law for a higher purpose. Porfiry (and others) quote or summarize it during the psychological probing of Raskolnikov. It’s the intellectual justification Raskolnikov wrestles with.
“There is no one—no one in the whole world now so unhappy as you.” – (Crime and Punishment – Part V, Chapter IV, Sonia, comforting Raskolnikov during his confession/anguish).
Explanation (English): Sonia, in intense sympathy, tells Raskolnikov she thinks he is the most unhappy person she has seen — expressing both pity and deep compassion. This emphasizes Sonia’s selfless empathy.
“Who has made me a judge to decide who is to live and who is not to live?” – (Crime and Punishment – Part V, Chapter IV, Sonya).
Explanation (English): Sonya asks rhetorically who made him the judge of life and death, a moment when he confronts the moral limits of his theory and his conscience.