black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

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

What are you laughing at? You are laughing at yourself.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Laughter Yourself
However stupid a fools words may be, they are sometimes enough to confound an intelligent man.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Enough Fools Intelligence Man Stupidity
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
I am who I am and that’s who I am.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Be Yourself Confidence Myself Original
The experience of ages has shown that a man who works on the land is purer, nobler, higher, and more moral… Agriculture should be at the basis of everything. That’s my idea.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Age Agriculture Basis Experience Ideas Myself
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
Keep not money, but keep good people’s company.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Company Money People
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
How much savage coarseness is concealed in refined, cultivated manners.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Culture Manner Refine Savage
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
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
In the end dreams became his life, and his whole life thereafter took a strange turn: one might say he slept while waking and watched while asleep.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Dreams Himself Life Sleep Strange Wake Up
You can’t imagine how stupid the whole world has grown nowadays.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Grown Imagination Stupidity Yourself
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
Gambling is the great leveller. All men are equal- at cards.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Card Equality Gamble Game Greatness
Always think of what is useful and not what is beautiful. Beauty will come of its own accord.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Beautiful Perspective Thinking Willing
It is no use to blame the looking glass if your face is awry.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Awe Blame Face
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

Count Human Master Passion Sea Terrible
Countless are, as the sand in the sea, the deep desires of men, and none resembles the other, and all of them, whether shameful, or great, in the beginning are obedient, but later become terrible masters over him.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Desire Emotion Feeling Greatness Himself Man Obedient Shame Terrible
Let me warn you, if you start chasing after views, you’ll be left without bread and without views.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Chase Myself Start View Warning
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
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
There are certain words which are nearer and dearer to a man than any others.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Attachment Feeling Man Word
Everything resembles the truth, everything can happen to a man.
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Philosophy Resemble Truth
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
Perfect nonsense goes on in the world. Sometimes there is no plausibility at all
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Pause Perfection World
What is stronger in us – passion or habit? Or are all the violent impulses, all the whirl of our desires and turbulent passions, only the consequence of our ardent age, and is it only through youth that they seem deep and shattering?
NIKOLAI GOGOL

Deep Emotion Feeling Habit Ourselves Passion Strong Violence

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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Nikolai Gogol Quotes