Who Says This Quote?

Alexey Karenin says this line, and it is one of the moments when Tolstoy lets us see the wounded man beneath the official surface. While Karenin is cold, proud, and imprisoned by his role, he is not a simple villain.

Why It Matters

The line exposes a painful difference between doctrine and emotion. Karenin understands the Christian command to forgive, but understanding does not make the heart obedient. He can imagine loving those who hate him in the abstract. Loving those he himself hates is another matter.

That struggle makes him more human. Karenin’s failure is moral, but it is also recognizable to a lot of readers who feel equally trapped. However, humiliation gnaws at his soul, and he cannot simply reason it away.