Notes from the Underground Quotes
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Source: Notes from the Underground
Author: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I am a sick man… I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man.
Context
This line is from the book Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1864).
Shh? Can you hear that? It's the opening line of Notes from the Underground. You have to be quiet, because the guy is underground.
Our mystery guy doesn't want to give away his location, because then someone might see how hateful and ugly he is. Who is this person living underground? A zombie from the "Thriller" music video? A morlock? No, something even scarier: an angry Russian man.
Where you've heard it
You might have heard this if someone is trying to make the worst first impression they possibly can. One authoritative voice in literature also declared this to be the 18th greatest opening line in Western literature. Not too shabby.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Since this first line isn't the most well-known of first lines, this is low on the pretentious meter. A lot less pretentious than acting like you've read the entirety of Dostoyevsky's other books, like The Brothers Karamazov.