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3 Powerful Lessons This Classic Novel Has Taught Me

This is, by far, my favourite novel of all time.

By Ionutz KazakuPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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Author's Image - The Count Of Monte Cristo Cover.

I absolutely love this book.

Hands down, my top 3 books of all time.

I have never been immersed so deep in a written world before. Who would have thought that words and sentences could do that? Until this book, only movies and video games had such powers.

The content of this story is just, so beautiful.

The main character follows this amazing arch of tragedy to redemption and revenge.

It is a book that I couldn't put down. It is the longest book I've ever read. It was the first fiction novel I have laid my hands on.

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas

Picture this:

It's 1814. Your name is Edmond Dantès, an innocent, honest, and loving 19-year-old sailor. You've just been offered the job of your dreams, and you're about to marry the love of your life. When suddenly, 3 men frame you for a crime you haven't committed. You are sent away to rot in a prison on a deserted island.

You lost everything. Your love, your freedom and your future are gone. Forever.

Or is it?

The book has 1276 pages, so, I doubt that.

I have lived and suffered together with Edmond. I have experienced emotions that I never felt before. My heart was constantly rushing from intense moments, but at the same time, I was experiencing the calm and long-detailed descriptions of the characters, surroundings and rich dialogues.

That's why I was so immersed in this world.

Moreover, the novel is filled with lots of lessons and quotes about life.

Here are 3 powerful lessons I have learnt throughout this long journey -

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I will try my best to not spoil important and a lot of the plot.

However, it’s a tough job when you are trying to share the lessons from this book.

I’ll try my best, here we go —

1) Education

Edmond was a simple man.

As I have mentioned, he was a great sailor. He was so good that he managed to get a job that no one at his age managed to. Moreover, he was considered by everyone to be a very lovely, honest and good-hearted person.

His innocence almost killed him.

I believe that if he was more aware of his surroundings, got a better sense of psychology and known other things besides the ocean, his life wouldn’t turn the way it did.

Soon enough he realised that in prison.

There, Edmond started learning non-stop.

One reason was that there wasn’t much else to do, but also, he found out that knowledge can make him powerful.

At the start, he couldn’t even read. Learning to read unlocked many possibilities. Edmond mastered mathematics, science, languages, philosophy, history, sword fighting, and economics.

All these skills brought him closer to his goal, revenge.

I believe constantly learning, being productive and having multilateral skills can make a huge difference in your life.

Knowing more languages, mastering a few sports, learning a thing or two about psychology and having a decent understanding of sciences, will be a huge plus.

Learn more, become better!

2) Patience

Edmond was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Eventually, spoil alert, he avoided that.

Nevertheless, he spent a huge amount of time there.

Let me remind you, it’s 1814 and you are being sent to jail. It’s not like in today’s world where you can leave your cell, play sports, and have a fairly nutritious meal.

Edmond was never shaved, the food he was getting barely kept him alive and he was exposed to little or no light throughout the day. He wasn’t allowed to leave his cell.

He has endured a lot, for a long time.

In prison, Edmond has learnt the value of patience.

As you have probably understood, he escaped.

The majority of people would straight away go for revenge. But not Edmond.

He took his time, mastered lots of skills and built a reputation. Only after a few years, when he felt safe enough and watched over his enemies, he started slowly moving toward his goal.

It’s a hard lesson to acquire, especially in today’s world where things move faster than ever.

It’s a lesson that I struggle with as well.

Mastering the skill of patience, by taking slow steps, will be the safest and the most beneficial approach in your life.

Take your time, don’t hurry!

3) Revenge

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

You have heard that before.

If you have a goal such as revenge, you should be prepared.

That’s why I first mentioned the power of being educated and mastering patience.

Without these 2, your plan will likely fail.

After prison, Edmond hasn’t gone to his enemies straight away. He learned a lot and waited a lot. He created the perfect plan. He almost never got in trouble, but when he did, plan B was always ready to be deployed.

Planning is everything.

His lifelong mission was to revenge on his enemies, but, personally, I don’t think it’s worth it.

For all evils, there are two remedies — time and silence.

The lesson I have learnt about revenge is that you should better avoid it.

It’s not worth it.

After the dish has gone cold, it’s no longer tasty. Why bother?

Don’t waste your whole life on revenging someone!

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Thank you for reading!

This is the longest and my favorite novel I have ever read. I would highly recommend going on this 1276-page journey! ❤

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AdventureClassicalHistoricalLove
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About the Creator

Ionutz Kazaku

Writing articles, reading books, listening to podcasts — constantly learning.

All my socials: bio.link/ionutzkazaku

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