Anton Chekhov Quotes - Page 2

The past,' he thought, 'is linked with the present by an unbroken chain of events flowing one out of another.' And it seemed to him that he had just seen both ends of that chain; that when he touched one end the other quivered.

When a woman is plain, people say, 'What beautiful eyes you have, beautiful hair.

And you know that anyone who at least once in his life has caught a perch or seen blackbirds migrating in the fall, when they rush in flocks over the village on clear, cool days, is no longer a townsman, and will be drawn towards freedom till his dying day.

The role of the artist is to ask questions, not answer them.

We shall find peace. We shall hear angels, we shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds.

Ah yes, freedom! Even a hint of it, just the faintest hope of it, is enough to make one's spirit soar, don't you think?

I've never been in love. I've dreamt of it day and night, but my heart is like a fine piano no one can play because the key is lost.

The sufferings which may be observed nowadays - they are so widespread and so vast - but people speak nevertheless about a certain moral improvement which society has achieved…

They say philosophers and wise men are indifferent. Wrong. Indifference is a paralysis of the soul, a premature death.

Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress. When I get fed up with one, I spend the night with the other

No psychologist should pretend to understand what he does not understand... Only fools and charlatans know everything and understand nothing.

Once a man gets a fixed idea, there's nothing to be done.

Be sure not to discuss your hero's state of mind. Make it clear from his actions."

(Letter to Alexander Chekhov, May 10, 1886)

In displaying the psychology of your characters, minute particulars are essential. God save us from vague generalizations!"

(Letter to Alexander Chekhov, May 10, 1886)