"Isolation in creative work is an onerous thing. Better to have negative criticism than nothing at all."

Anton Chekhov Literature See all quotes by Anton Chekhov →

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More by Anton Chekhov

“The world is a fine place. The only thing wrong with it is us. How little justice and humility there is in us, how poorly we understand patriotism!”

“Writers are as jealous as pigeons.”

“Despicable means used to achieve laudable goals render the goals themselves despicable.”

“It’s worth living abroad to study up on genteel and delicate manners. The maid smiles continuously; she smiles like a duchess on a stage, while at the same time it is clear from her face that she is exhausted from overwork.”

“Moscow is a city that has much suffering ahead of it.”

“There are no lower or higher or median moralities. There is only one morality, and it is precisely the one that was given to us during the time of Jesus Christ and that stops me, you and Barantsevich from stealing, offending others, lying etc.”

Resonant Thoughts

"We Scots are proud Europeans. By history Scotland is - and by our ambition Scotland will remain - a European nation, a full member of the European Union. This is the starting point of our engagement w…"

— Alex Salmond

Politics1954–2024

#art

"Conscience is the most sacred thing among men. Every man has within him a still small voice, which tells him that nothing on earth can oblige him to believe that which he does not believe. The worst o…"

— Napoleon I of France

Politics1769–1821

#religion

"I have a feeling that if a Dalitist state gets established it will be a far better Socialist model for the world than the other models which were already established because Dalitbahujan society was n…"

— Kancha Ilaiah

Science1952

#leadership

"Whatever is felt upon the page without being specifically named there — that, one might say, is created. It is the inexplicable presence of the thing not named, of the overtone divined by the ear but …"

— Willa Cather

Literature1873–1947

#philosophy