--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As the Russians say, getting what you…" description: "\"“As the Russians say, getting what you want sometimes requires moving like the knight in chess: forward and to the left.”\" — Adrian McKinty" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/adrian-mckinty-19607_moving-like_as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-wan_1646102.png" --- # As the Russians say, getting what you want sometimes… ![“As the Russians say, getting what you want sometimes requires moving like the knight in chess: forward and to the left.” quote by Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/adrian-mckinty-19607_moving-like_as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-wan_1646102.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/adrian-mckinty-19607_moving-like_as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-wan_1646102.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/adrian-mckinty-19607_moving-like_as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-wan_1646102.png) > ““As the Russians say, getting what you want sometimes requires moving like the knight in chess: forward and to the left.”” [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving goals may need indirect, strategic moves rather than direct attacks. **In simple terms:** Sometimes you must approach goals from an unexpected angle. Key Takeaway Plan creatively, not just straight ahead. Themes strategy indirect action creativity Mood thoughtful determined Type advice strategic When to use this quote - business negotiations - personal relationships - problem solving Key Concepts chess metaphor goal pursuit Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe a challenge to find a new path? - What indirect tactics have you used successfully? A Different Perspective Direct force may be ineffective if obstacles are rigid. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chess Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess-forward-610070/) [Forward Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward-left-610071/) [Like Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-knight-610073/) [Moving Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-like-534251/) [Russians Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russians-say-610072/) ## Related quotes > [“We Russians cannot say anything in our own language ... At least we haven't yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/we-russians-cannot-say-anything-in-our-own-language-at-least-we-haven/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“...but in 1917 we had no cares except the mundane ones of starvation and occupation and civil war, and for those of us in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/but-in-1917-we-had-no-cares-except-the-mundane-ones-of-starvation-and/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [A champion without his belt is like a knight without his sword. I've got to have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/a-champion-without-his-belt-is-like-a-knight-without-his-sword-i-ve/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [“Cromwell, suppose you’d been away from England for seven years? If you’d been like a knight in a story, lying under an enchantment? You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/cromwell-suppose-you-d-been-away-from-england-for-seven-years-if-you/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Tis going, I own, like the Knight of the Woeful Countenance, in quest of melancholy adventures--but I know not how it is, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/tis-going-i-own-like-the-knight-of-the-woeful-countenance-in-quest-of/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [Women love firefighters so much because it’s like a knight in shining armor kind of thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-kinney/women-love-firefighters-so-much-because-it-s-like-a-knight-in-shining/) [Taylor Kinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-kinney/) > [“I'll fight dragons, just like any knight for his lady. I'll prove myself. You'll be proud of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lj-smith/i-ll-fight-dragons-just-like-any-knight-for-his-lady-i-ll-prove/) [LJ Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lj-smith/) > [“And in the mean time I'll fight dragons, just like any knight for his lady.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-smith/and-in-the-mean-time-i-ll-fight-dragons-just-like-any-knight-for-his/) [L.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-smith/) > [It's like being a Knight of the Garter. It's an honor, but it doesn't hold up anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-like-being-a-knight-of-the-garter-it-s-an-honor-but-it-doesn-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Henry went down on one knee. 'Like King Arthur's knights,' Mr. Fogarty had told him, but he didn't feel much like a knight. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-brennan/henry-went-down-on-one-knee-like-king-arthur-s-knights-mr-fogarty-had/) [Herbie Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-brennan/) > [Languages are something of a mess. They evolve over centuries through an unplanned, democratic process that leaves them teeming with irregularities, quirks, and words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/languages-are-something-of-a-mess-they-evolve-over-centuries-through/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [“That's the trouble with people like you, Knight, you only know how to mock. How to break things. You don't know how to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-pryce/that-s-the-trouble-with-people-like-you-knight-you-only-know-how-to/) [Malcolm Pryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-pryce/) > [Diabetes is passed that way -- over and down, like a knight in chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/diabetes-is-passed-that-way-over-and-down-like-a-knight-in-chess/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [I can't stop moving. I'm like this weird insect. I can't sit still in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wright/i-can-t-stop-moving-i-m-like-this-weird-insect-i-can-t-sit-still-in/) [Robin Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wright/) > [“But that doesn't stop me from moving about him like a junior high girl lingering by the lifeguard station”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-acito/but-that-doesn-t-stop-me-from-moving-about-him-like-a-junior-high/) [Marc Acito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-acito/) ## More by Adrian McKinty > [“How do you feel about homosexuals, Mr. Scavanni?' I asked. 'I think they're great. More women for the rest of us,' he said sarcastically.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/how-do-you-feel-about-homosexuals-mr-scavanni-i-asked-i-think-they-re/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“It's been my experience that only children never learn when to keep their fucking traps shut. An older brother would have beat that out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/it-s-been-my-experience-that-only-children-never-learn-when-to-keep/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“The Bible says that man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. Well, trouble followed me like sharks trailing a slave ship.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/the-bible-says-that-man-is-born-to-trouble-as-the-sparks-fly-upward/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“Don't go there, Sean. Not on a Sunday. There's no point making waves,” Crabbie said. He was as impatient as I was but maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/don-t-go-there-sean-not-on-a-sunday-there-s-no-point-making-waves/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“sallow-faced, balding, heavy lidded, Uriah Heep of a man, Kevin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/sallow-faced-balding-heavy-lidded-uriah-heep-of-a-man-kevin/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“I’d met spooks and blades and they lied like they had invented the concept.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/i-d-met-spooks-and-blades-and-they-lied-like-they-had-invented-the/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [Human beings are pattern-seeking animals. It's part of our DNA. That's why conspiracy theories and gods are so popular: we always look for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/human-beings-are-pattern-seeking-animals-it-s-part-of-our-dna-that-s/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“The problem with Double Fantasy was the arrangement whereby they alternated John Lennon tracks with Yoko Ono tracks. You couldn’t escape Yoko for more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/the-problem-with-double-fantasy-was-the-arrangement-whereby-they/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“The riot had taken on a beauty of its own now. Arcs of gasoline fire under the crescent moon. Crimson tracer in mystical parabolas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/the-riot-had-taken-on-a-beauty-of-its-own-now-arcs-of-gasoline-fire/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“We drank our whiskeys. It was the good stuff and it tasted of salt, sea, rain, wind and the Old Testament.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/we-drank-our-whiskeys-it-was-the-good-stuff-and-it-tasted-of-salt-sea/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“Don’t trust whitey and whitey is fucking everywhere. We walked”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/don-t-trust-whitey-and-whitey-is-fucking-everywhere-we-walked/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“A black Mercedes Benz 450 SL pulled up. It was your classic hood auto beloved of terrorists, pimps and African dictators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/a-black-mercedes-benz-450-sl-pulled-up-it-was-your-classic-hood-auto/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“squirrel is in a pine tree, when all of a sudden, it starts shaking. He looks down, and sees an elephant climbing the tree.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/squirrel-is-in-a-pine-tree-when-all-of-a-sudden-it-starts-shaking-he/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“You painted it pink?' Price asked with a grin. 'That’s lavender, you colour-blind eejit,' I said. McCallister saw that Price clearly hadn’t got the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/you-painted-it-pink-price-asked-with-a-grin-that-s-lavender-you/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) > [“A cocked .38 doesn't feel the same as an unprimed revolver. The frame tightens differently, the trigger is on a hair and this tension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/a-cocked-38-doesn-t-feel-the-same-as-an-unprimed-revolver-the-frame/) [Adrian McKinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) [Explore all 31 Adrian McKinty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/) ## More Moving Like quotes > [“But that doesn't stop me from moving about him like a junior high girl lingering by the lifeguard station”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-acito/but-that-doesn-t-stop-me-from-moving-about-him-like-a-junior-high/) [Marc Acito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-acito/) > [I can't stop moving. I'm like this weird insect. I can't sit still in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wright/i-can-t-stop-moving-i-m-like-this-weird-insect-i-can-t-sit-still-in/) [Robin Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wright/) > [“Be like water making its way through crack. Do not be assertive but adjust to the object and you shall find a way round…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/be-like-water-making-its-way-through-crack-do-not-be-assertive-but/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I'm always moving like a kid. I'm always bouncing around and never sit still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-ballard/i-m-always-moving-like-a-kid-i-m-always-bouncing-around-and-never-sit/) [Frankie Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-ballard/) > [The way I play, I'm always moving. I like to move the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/the-way-i-play-i-m-always-moving-i-like-to-move-the-ball/) [Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/) > [I was acting out of nature, trying to do things to please people or please myself. And I know now that I can't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-waller/i-was-acting-out-of-nature-trying-to-do-things-to-please-people-or/) [Darren Waller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-waller/) > [Wake up, Shake up, Make up and Break up; life is all about moving like ant in search of sugar not sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/wake-up-shake-up-make-up-and-break-up-life-is-all-about-moving-like/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [One day, Travi$ is going to be moving like The Beatles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-scott/one-day-travi-is-going-to-be-moving-like-the-beatles/) [Travis Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-scott/) > [“bathroom, moving like a woman in a trance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-lael-miller/bathroom-moving-like-a-woman-in-a-trance/) [Linda Lael Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-lael-miller/) > [Moving like a tortoise, full of rigor mortis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nwa/moving-like-a-tortoise-full-of-rigor-mortis/) [NWA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nwa/) > [Moving like a big boss!! calling me a big boy, when they pass me the ball I would score](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mishack/moving-like-a-big-boss-calling-me-a-big-boy-when-they-pass-me-the/) [Mishack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mishack/) > [She's moving like: oh, oh oh, oh oh, oh, oh oh. She's moving like: oh, oh oh, oh oh, oh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inna/she-s-moving-like-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-she-s-moving-like-oh-oh-oh/) [Inna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inna/) > [Moving on is like writing a new song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-l/moving-on-is-like-writing-a-new-song/) [Britt L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-l/) [Browse all 14 Moving Like quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-like-534251/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As the Russians say, getting what you want sometimes requires moving like the knight in chess: forward and to the left.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adrian McKinty" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-want-sometimes-requires-moving/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Moving Like" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-want-sometimes-requires-moving/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/adrian-mckinty-19607_moving-like_as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-wan_1646102.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/adrian-mckinty-19607_moving-like_as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-wan_1646102.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/adrian-mckinty-19607_moving-like_as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-wan_1646102.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As the Russians say, getting what you want sometimes requires moving like the knight in chess: forward and…” — Adrian McKinty", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Adrian McKinty", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-mckinty/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As the Russians say, getting what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-want-sometimes-requires-moving/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-mckinty/as-the-russians-say-getting-what-you-want-sometimes-requires-moving/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```