One usually dislikes a play while writing it, but afterward it grows on one. Let others judge and make decisions.
Anton ChekhovOne must be a god to be able to tell successes from failures without making a mistake.
Anton ChekhovI have no will of my own. Never did. Limp and lily-livered, I always obey - is it possible that's attractive to women?
Anton ChekhovIvanov: Once I worked hard and thought a lot but I never got tired; now I do nothing and think of nothing, but I'm tired in body and spirit. My conscience aches day and night, I feel deeply guilty but I don't understand where I am actually at fault. And add to that my wife's illness, my lack of money, the constant bickering, gossip, unnecessary conversations, that stupid Borkin... My home has become loathsome to me and I find living there worse than torture.
Anton ChekhovMy business is to be talented, that is, to be capable of selecting the important moments from the trivial ones. . . . It's about time for writers - particularly those who are genuine artists - to recognize that in this world you cannot figure out everything. Just have a writer who the crowds trust be courageous enough and declare that he does not understand everything, and that alone will represent a major contribution to the way people think, a long leap forward.
Anton Chekhov