--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you know,\" Ivan Bunin recalls Anton…" description: "\"Do you know,\" Ivan Bunin recalls Anton Chekhov saying to him in 1899, near the end of his too-short life, \"for how many years I shall be read? Seven.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/anton-chekhov-298_chekhov_do-you-know-ivan-bunin-recalls-anton-che_1708016.jpg" --- # Do you know," Ivan Bunin recalls Anton Chekhov saying to… ![“Do you know," Ivan Bunin recalls Anton Chekhov saying to him in 1899, near the end of his too-short life, "for how many years I shall be read? Seven." "Why seven?" Bunin asked. "Well," Chekhov answered, "seven and a half then.” quote by Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/anton-chekhov-298_chekhov_do-you-know-ivan-bunin-recalls-anton-che_1708016.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/anton-chekhov-298_chekhov_do-you-know-ivan-bunin-recalls-anton-che_1708016.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/anton-chekhov-298_chekhov_do-you-know-ivan-bunin-recalls-anton-che_1708016.jpg) > “Do you know," Ivan Bunin recalls Anton Chekhov saying to him in 1899, near the end of his too-short life, "for how many years I shall be read? Seven." "Why seven?" Bunin asked. "Well," Chekhov answered, "seven and a half then.” [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chekhov predicts his literary legacy will be modest, lasting about seven years, reflecting on the fleeting nature of fame. **In simple terms:** Chekhov expects limited lasting fame. Key Takeaway Accept impermanence of fame. Themes legacy humility mortality Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - author reflections - literary history - personal legacy Key Concepts literary fame ephemerality Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure lasting impact? - What does fleeting fame teach humility? A Different Perspective Fame can be unpredictable and longer than expected. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anton-chekhov/) [Asked Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-chekhov-1218484/) [Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chekhov/) [Chekhov Answered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chekhov-answered-1218483/) [Chekhov Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chekhov-saying-1218482/) [Do you know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/do-you-know/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Read Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-seven-1218485/) [Recalls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recalls/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Short life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-life/) [Too short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-short/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“Any idiot can face a crisis, it is day to day living that wears you out. —Anton Chekhov”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-idiot-can-face-a-crisis-it-is-day-to-day-living-that-wears-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my teaching, I try to expose my students to the widest range of aesthetic possibilities, so I'll offer them stories from Anton Chekhov…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/in-my-teaching-i-try-to-expose-my-students-to-the-widest-range-of/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint on the broken glass.” Anton Chekhov”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-s-hartmetz/don-t-tell-me-the-moon-is-shining-show-me-the-glint-on-the-broken/) [Richard S. Hartmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-s-hartmetz/) > [“Anton Chekhov wisely said, “"The task of a writer is not to solve the problem but to state the problem correctly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anton-chekhov-wisely-said-the-task-of-a-writer-is-not-to-solve-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was deeply influenced by the sartorial practices of both preachers and jazz musicians and actually Masha in Act One of Anton Chekhov, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-was-deeply-influenced-by-the-sartorial-practices-of-both-preachers/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [My favorite author is Anton Chekhov, not so much for the plays but for his short stories, and I think he was really my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/my-favorite-author-is-anton-chekhov-not-so-much-for-the-plays-but-for/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [“Don't tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass." - Anton Chekhov”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-rosenberg/don-t-tell-me-the-moon-is-shining-show-me-the-glint-of-light-on/) [Allen Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-rosenberg/) > [There's a great Anton Chekhov quote. He says, "The Russian loves recalling life, but he does not love living." That scene has always been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orner/there-s-a-great-anton-chekhov-quote-he-says-the-russian-loves/) [Peter Orner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orner/) > [I really like the stuff that is very absurd and very real at the same time. I think Anton Chekhov is the greatest comedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/i-really-like-the-stuff-that-is-very-absurd-and-very-real-at-the-same/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [ I did \[Henrik\] Ibsen and \[Anton\] Chekhov for years. Obviously I didn't get the kind of recognition I have now. 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I always imagined I'd end up doing Chekhov, Ibsen and Shakespeare all my life and never play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kingston/i-don-t-think-my-looks-are-modern-i-always-imagined-i-d-end-up-doing/) [Alex Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kingston/) > [“Any idiot can face a crisis, it is day to day living that wears you out. —Anton Chekhov”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-idiot-can-face-a-crisis-it-is-day-to-day-living-that-wears-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Chekhov will seek out the key situation in the life of a cabman or a charwoman, and make them glow for a brief moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson-lynd/chekhov-will-seek-out-the-key-situation-in-the-life-of-a-cabman-or-a/) [Robert Wilson Lynd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson-lynd/) > [As Michael (Chekhov)'s pupil, I learned more about acting. I learned psychology, history, and the good manners of art - taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/as-michael-chekhov-s-pupil-i-learned-more-about-acting-i-learned/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [If we're lucky, writer and reader alike, we'll finish the last line or two of a short story and then just sit for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/if-we-re-lucky-writer-and-reader-alike-we-ll-finish-the-last-line-or/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [Chekhov said: let's put God - and all these grand progressive ideas - to one side. Let's begin with man; let's be kind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/chekhov-said-let-s-put-god-and-all-these-grand-progressive-ideas-to/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [Reading Chekhov was just like the angels singing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/reading-chekhov-was-just-like-the-angels-singing-to-me/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [When we remove the snowdrift piled up over Chekhov in recent years, we uncover a man profoundly agitated by social problems; a writer whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/when-we-remove-the-snowdrift-piled-up-over-chekhov-in-recent-years-we/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [Read the great stuff, but read the stuff that isn't so great, too. Great stuff is very discouraging. If you read only Beckett and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/read-the-great-stuff-but-read-the-stuff-that-isn-t-so-great-too-great/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I'll never forget reading Chekhov's "A Doctor's Visit" on a train to Hawthorne, New York, and I got to the end - the scene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/i-ll-never-forget-reading-chekhov-s-a-doctor-s-visit-on-a-train-to/) [Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/) [Browse all 132 Chekhov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chekhov/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do you know,\" Ivan Bunin recalls Anton Chekhov saying to him in 1899, near the end of his too-short life, \"for how many years I shall be read? 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