Money is coined liberty, and so it is ten times dearer to the man who is deprived of freedom. If money is jingling in his pocket, he is half consoled, even though he cannot spend it. But money can always and everywhere be spent, and, moreover, forbidden fruit is sweetest of all." - Meaning and context.">
The House of the Dead (1915), as translated by Constance Garnett, p. 16
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Money is coined liberty, and so it is ten times dearer to the man who is deprived of freedom. If money is jingling in his pocket, he is half consoled, even though he cannot spend it. But money can always and everywhere be spent, and, moreover, forbidden fruit is sweetest of all.

— Fyodor Dostoyevsky

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Money is coined liberty, and so it is ten times dearer to the man who is deprived of freedom. If money is jingling in his pocket, he is half consoled, even though he cannot spend it. But money can always and everywhere be spent, and, moreover, forbidden fruit is sweetest of all." in the context of "The House of the Dead (1915), as translated by Constance Garnett, p. 16" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Fyodor Dostoyevsky" (General) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Fyodor Dostoyevsky

About Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevsky Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский (11 November 1821 - 9 February 1881) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. Dostoevsky's literary works explore the human condition in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of philosophical and religious themes. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest novelists in all of world literature, as multiple of his works are considered highly influential masterpieces.