--- title: "5 Chekhov Quotes By Lev Shestov" description: "5 Chekhov quotes by Lev Shestov. Plus more from Lev Shestov and more Chekhov sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/lev-shestov-12374_art_art-science-love-inspiration-ideals-choo_25462.jpg" --- > [“Art, science, love, inspiration, ideals—choose out all the words with which humanity is wont, or has been in the past, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/art-science-love-inspiration-ideals-choose-out-all-the-words-with/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/lev-shestov-12374_art_art-science-love-inspiration-ideals-choo_25462.jpg) > [“He did not want to be original; he made superhuman efforts to be like everybody else: but there is no escaping one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/he-did-not-want-to-be-original-he-made-superhuman-efforts-to-be-like/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/lev-shestov-12374_chekhov_he-did-not-want-to-be-original-he-made-s_92063.jpg) > [“Anton Chekhov tells the truth neither out of love or respect for the truth, nor yet because, in the Kantian manner, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/anton-chekhov-tells-the-truth-neither-out-of-love-or-respect-for-the/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/lev-shestov-12374_chekhov_anton-chekhov-tells-the-truth-neither-ou_485033.jpg) > [“If he tells the truth, it is because the most reeking lie no longer intoxicates him, even though he swallow it not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/if-he-tells-the-truth-it-is-because-the-most-reeking-lie-no-longer/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/lev-shestov-12374_chekhov_if-he-tells-the-truth-it-is-because-the_2612471.jpg) > [“To define his tendency in a word, I would say that Chekhov was the poet of hopelessness. Stubbornly, sadly, monotonously, during all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/to-define-his-tendency-in-a-word-i-would-say-that-chekhov-was-the/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/lev-shestov-12374_chekhov_to-define-his-tendency-in-a-word-i-would_2839550.jpg) ## Other authors on Chekhov ## More by Lev Shestov > [“Art, science, love, inspiration, ideals—choose out all the words with which humanity is wont, or has been in the past, to be consoled or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/art-science-love-inspiration-ideals-choose-out-all-the-words-with/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“After a tragedy, a farce. Philosophy enters into her power, and the earth returns under one's feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/after-a-tragedy-a-farce-philosophy-enters-into-her-power-and-the/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“He did not want to be original; he made superhuman efforts to be like everybody else: but there is no escaping one's destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/he-did-not-want-to-be-original-he-made-superhuman-efforts-to-be-like/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“So long as the child was fed on its mother's milk, everything seemed to it smooth and easy. But when it had to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/so-long-as-the-child-was-fed-on-its-mother-s-milk-everything-seemed/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Yet, with all his acuteness, it did not occur to him that Europe was not in the least to blame for his disillusionment. Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/yet-with-all-his-acuteness-it-did-not-occur-to-him-that-europe-was/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Aproape de fiecare data cand se refera la moarte, Socrate repeta, in opera lui Platon, cuvintele lui Euripide. Nimeni nu stie daca viata nu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/aproape-de-fiecare-data-cand-se-refera-la-moarte-socrate-repeta-in/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Furthermore, as long as the world shall last, there will always be people who, either for the sake of peace or from an unquiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/furthermore-as-long-as-the-world-shall-last-there-will-always-be/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Although we had had no precise exponents of realism, yet after Pushkin it was impossible for a Russian writer to depart too far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/although-we-had-had-no-precise-exponents-of-realism-yet-after-pushkin/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“They certified that I was sane; but I know that I am mad." This confession gives us the key to what is most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/they-certified-that-i-was-sane-but-i-know-that-i-am-mad-this/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“More striking still, a broken man is generally deprived of everything except the ability to acknowledge and feel his position.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/more-striking-still-a-broken-man-is-generally-deprived-of-everything/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Anton Chekhov tells the truth neither out of love or respect for the truth, nor yet because, in the Kantian manner, a high duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/anton-chekhov-tells-the-truth-neither-out-of-love-or-respect-for-the/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Even Pushkin, who could understand everything, did not grasp the real significance of Dead Souls. He thought that the author was grieving for Russia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/even-pushkin-who-could-understand-everything-did-not-grasp-the-real/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“It is necessary to choose: if you wish to be an empiricist, you must abandon the hope of founding scientific knowledge on a solid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/it-is-necessary-to-choose-if-you-wish-to-be-an-empiricist-you-must/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Practical advice.—People who read much must always keep it in mind that life is one thing, literature another. Not that authors invariably lie. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/practical-advice-people-who-read-much-must-always-keep-it-in-mind/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Kada bi Darvin video u životu ono što je video Dostojevski, on ne bi govorio o zakonu samoodržanja nego o zakonu samouništenja.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/kada-bi-darvin-video-u-ivotu-ono-to-je-video-dostojevski-on-ne-bi/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chekhov/lev-shestov/#itemlist", "name": "5 Chekhov Quotes By Lev Shestov", "numberOfItems": 5, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Art, science, love, inspiration, ideals—choose out all the words with which humanity is wont, or has been in the past, to be consoled or to be amused—Chekhov has only to touch them and they instantly wither and die. 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