"Watching a woman make Russian pancakes, you might think that she was calling on the spirits or extracting from the batter the philosopher’s stone."

Anton Chekhov Literature See all quotes by Anton Chekhov →

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“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.”

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

“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.”

“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

"On the surface, the people around you appear so polite and civilized. But beneath the mask, they are all inevitably dealing with frustrations. They have a need to influence people and gain power over …"

— Robert Greene (American author)

Literature1959–1978

#power

"Who does a baby think he is before he can recognize his face in a mirror, before he’s taught his name, before he’s drummed into stagnant separation, cordoned off from the infinite oneness? Love is inn…"

— Russell Brand

Entertainment1975

#happiness

"A few years ago a majority of the States had adopted prohibition or rigid restrictions on the traffic in intoxicating liquor. But other States did not cooperate in advancing this policy, and ultimatel…"

— Calvin Coolidge

Politics1780–1853

#power

"… one of the most detrimental effects of the crisis in science education in the world today is that we are creating a population increasingly unable to think skeptically about a wide range of issues."

— Andrew Fraknoi

Science1948

#mind