The above quotation comes from The Brothers Karamazov, written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is something that all need to make conscious note of, because each of us has not only a responsibility for our own self, but has an obligation and duty to take appropriate concern for others and their lives; for no man is an island unto himself, but rather, we are in whole a community of people, living here within a social construct, that necessitates that each of us has a responsibility to that community to do right by it, and to do as much right as we can for it.
That is to say, to be destructive is a very easy thing to be, for to tear things down and to wantonly criticize, is the type of easy road that cares not for another, and cares not for the consequences of such negative and ruinous actions. On the other hand, to build things up, is something that is going to take forethought, as well as good execution, and an abiding belief in the desire to help to create institutions and foundations that are well grounded and therefore will have a very good chance of standing the test of time; even time, beyond our physical presence.
All those that look upon life as some sort of zero-sum society, and therefore make it their point to lead their lives in a manner in which they will do what they need to do to get ahead of others, are people that have placed themselves into a scenario in which they must win and others must lose, in order for them to achieve some sort of satisfaction in their life. While it can be said that this is indeed a way to look upon this world, especially for those that see the world as being primarily capitalistic and competitive, that is not going to be an institution that will be longstanding, for those that are forever stepped upon, abused, and exploited, will in many respects, not be willing participants in such a game, and will, at some point or another, rise up to assert themselves, again and again and again.
The far more satisfying way to look upon society is to see each member of that society as having equal validity and from that acknowledgment, understanding that each then is entitled to their fair share of the fruits of that society. This does not mean that each is equally entitled to the same share of those fruits, for each of us has different talents, abilities, throughput, and desires; in addition to the fact that some make bad and disastrous decisions, some are destructive, and some are rebellious; but rather indicates that we have an obligation and responsibility to be fair and open in all of our interactions, and to see to it that justice is fairly and openly applied.
All of us have been created by the same Creator, and all are equally loved by our Creator; so then, to subdivide ourselves into cliques and clubs, of winners and losers, of the exploiters and the exploited, is to lose sight of the most important thing, that we are all brothers and sisters, and to not do right and to not be responsible to our family, is irresponsible, flawed, uncivil, and represents the purgatory that we currently exist in.