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Countless as the sands of sea are human passions, and not all of them are alike, and all of them, base and noble alike, are at first obedient to man and only later on become his terrible masters.

Nikolai Gogol

For public opinion does not admit that lofty rapturous laughter is worthy to stand beside lofty lyrical emotion and that there isall the difference in the world between it and the antics of a clown at a fair.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Clown Difference Emotion Laughter Lyrics Opinion Public
The Lord grant we may all be tillers of the soil.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Blessing Soil
Nothing could be more pleasant than to live in solitude, enjoy the spectacle of nature, and occasionally read some book.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Book Enjoyment Live Nature Peace Pleasant Reading Solitude
What are you laughing at? You are laughing at yourself.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Laughter Yourself
Man is such a wondrous being that it is never possible to count up all his merits at once. The more you study him, the more new particulars appear, and their description would be endless.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Appearance Count Description End Man Wonder
Sank into the profound slumber which comes only to such fortunate folk as are troubled neither with mosquitoes nor fleas nor excessive activity of brain.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Activity Brain Fortunate Trouble
They’re thinking of turning the peasant into an educated man. Why, first of all they should make him a good and prosperous farmer and then he’ll learn all that is necessary for him to know.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Education Himself Known Learning Prosperous Thinking
Gambling is the great leveller. All men are equal- at cards.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Card Equality Gamble Game Greatness
But wise is the man who disdains no character, but with searching glance explores him to the root and cause of all.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Exploration Himself Oneself Reason Search Wisdom
How much savage coarseness is concealed in refined, cultivated manners.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Culture Manner Refine Savage
We ought to thank God for that. Yes, the man who tills the land is more worthy of respect than any.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

God Man Respect Thankful Worth
it’s not my job to preach a sermon. Art is anyhow a homily. My job is to speak in living images, not in arguments. I must exhibit life full-face, not discuss life.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Art Discussion Home Image Job Life Preach
I saw that I’d get nowhere on the straight path, and that to go crookedly was straighter.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Character Humble Journey Myself Nature Path Selfish
There are passions that it is not for man to choose.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Choice Deep Inspirational Man Passion
A word aptly uttered or written cannot be cut away by an axe.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Lost Word Writing
I tell everyone very plainly that I take bribes, but what kind of bribes? Why, greyhound puppies. That’s a totally different matter.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Bribe Different Kind Matter Plain
As you pass from the tender years of youth into harsh and embittered manhood, make sure you take with you on your journey all the human emotions! Don’t leave them on the road, for you will not pick them up afterwards!
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Emotional Harsh Human Journey Yourself Youth
Everything resembles the truth, everything can happen to a man.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Philosophy Resemble Truth
Do we ever get what we really want? Do we ever achieve what our powers have ostensibly equipped us for? No: everything works by contraries.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Achievement Contrary Power Work
The longer and more carefully we look at a funny story, the sadder it becomes.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Care Focus Funny Sadness
There are occasions when a woman, no matter how weak and impotent in character she may be in comparison with a man, will yet suddenly become not only harder than any man, but even harder than anything and everything in the world.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Character Man Occasion Weakness Willing Woman
There are people who exist in this world not like entities but like the speckles or spots on something.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Existence People Space Spot World
Of course, Alexander the Great was a hero, but why smash the chairs?
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Argument Greatness Smash
Don’t blame the mirror if your face is faulty.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Blame Face Fault Mirror Mistake
I am fated to journey hand in hand with my strange heroes and to survey the surging immensity of life, to survey it through the laughter that all can see and through the tears unseen and unknown by anyone.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Fate Hero Journey Life Myself Unknown
We have the marvelous gift of making everything insignificant.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Gift Insignificant Magic Miracle Perspective Power
However stupid a fools words may be, they are sometimes enough to confound an intelligent man.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Enough Fools Intelligence Man Stupidity

Countless as the sands of sea are human passions, and not all of them are alike, and all of them, base and noble alike, are at first obedient to man and only later on become his terrible masters.

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Countless as the sands of sea are human passions, and not all of them are alike, and all of them, base and noble alike, are at first obedient to man and only later on become his terrible masters.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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