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Oh, I have now a mania for shortness. Whatever I read – my own or other people’s works – it all seems to me not short enough.

Anton Chekhov

This life of ours, human life is like a flower gloriously blooming in a meadow: along comes a goat, eats it up–no more flower.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Flower Glorious Human Life Meadow Ourselves
They say philosophers and wise men are indifferent. Wrong. Indifference is a paralysis of the soul, a premature death.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Death Different Man Philosophy Wisdom
You ask me what life is. That’s like asking what a carrot is. A carrot is a carrot, and there’s nothing more to know.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Knowledge Life Myself Philosophy
Money, like vodka, turns a person into an eccentric.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Money Person
Brevity – the sister of talent.
ANTON CHEKHOV

One Liner Talent
Three o’clock in the morning. The soft April night is looking at my windows and caressingly winking at me with its stars. I can’t sleep, I am so happy.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Happiness Morning Myself Nature Night Sleep
What a delight it is to respect people!
ANTON CHEKHOV

Delight People Respect
If you are afraid of loneliness, do not marry.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Afraid Lonely Marriage Yourself
When a person expends the least amount of motion on one action, that is grace.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Action Grace Motion Oneself Person
Wisdom comes not from age, but from education and learning.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Age Education Learning Time Wisdom
Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day to day living that wears you out.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Crisis Day Face Idiot Live
A woman can become a man’s friend only in the following stages – first an acquantaince, next a mistress, and only then a friend.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Follow Friendship Man Stage Woman
Faith is an aptitude of the spirit. It is, in fact, a talent: you must be born with it.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Aptitude Born Fact Faith Spirit Talent Yourself
When a person is born, he can embark on only one of three roads of life: if you go right, the wolves will eat you; if you go left, you’ll eat the wolves; if you go straight, you’ll eat yourself.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Born Eat Life Person Right Road Yourself
My holy of holies is the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and absolute freedom–freedom from violence and falsehood, no matter how the last two manifest themselves.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Body Freedom Health Holy Human Intelligence Manifestation Talent Violence
If in the first act you introduce a gun, by the third act you have to use it.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Act Gun Introduction Weapon Yourself
Exquisite nature, daydreams, and music say one thing, real life another.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Life Music Nature Oneself Reality
He who desires nothing, hopes for nothing, and is afraid of nothing, cannot be an artist.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Afraid Artist Deep Desire Hope
It is easy to be a philosopher in academia, but it is very difficult to be a philosopher in life.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Difficult Easy Life Philosopher
Lying is the same as alcoholism. Liars prevaricate even on their deathbeds.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Alcohol Bed Death Lying
Everything should be first-rate in a person, his face, clothes, soul and thoughts.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Clothes Himself Person Rate Soul Thinking
Without a knowledge of languages you feel as if you don’t have a passport.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Feeling Knowledge Language Yourself
The role of the artist is to ask questions, not answer them.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Answer Artist Question Role
The more cultured a man, the less fortunate he is.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Culture Fortunate Himself Man
The happy man only feels at ease because the unhappy bear their burden in silence. Without this silence, happiness would be impossible.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Easy Feeling Happiness Impossible Man Silence
People should be beautiful in every way – in their faces, in the way they dress, in their thoughts, and in their innermost selves.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Beautiful Character Dress Face People Thinking Way
I don’t understand anything about the ballet; all I know is that during the intervals the ballerinas stink like horses.
ANTON CHEKHOV

Animal Horse Interval Myself Smell Understand

Oh, I have now a mania for shortness. Whatever I read – my own or other people’s works – it all seems to me not short enough.

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Oh, I have now a mania for shortness. Whatever I read – my own or other people’s works – it all seems to me not short enough.

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Popular Authors

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