---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He wrote and kept reading aloud what was…"
description: "\"“He wrote and kept reading aloud what was written, while Vasilisa considered what she ought to write: how great had been their want the year before, ho..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/anton-chekhov-298_quote_he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was_1385477.jpg"
---

#  He wrote and kept reading aloud what was written, while…

![“He wrote and kept reading aloud what was written, while Vasilisa considered what she ought to write: how great had been their want the year before, how their corn had not lasted even till Christmas, how they had to sell their cow. She ought to ask for money, ought to write that the old father was…” quote by Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/anton-chekhov-298_quote_he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was_1385477.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/anton-chekhov-298_quote_he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was_1385477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/anton-chekhov-298_quote_he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was_1385477.jpg)

> ““He wrote and kept reading aloud what was written, while Vasilisa considered what she ought to write: how great had been their want the year before, how their corn had not lasted even till Christmas, how they had to sell their cow. She ought to ask for money, ought to write that the old father was often ailing and would soon no doubt give up his soul to God … but how to express this in words? What must be said first and what afterwards?””

[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.

The character struggles to find words to convey desperate need, illustrating the difficulty of expressing deep poverty and desperation.

**In simple terms:** Finding words for extreme hardship is hard.

Key Takeaway

Seek honest, simple expression of need.

Themes

poverty communication desperation

Mood

somber reflective

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- writing a plea
- appealing for aid
- storytelling
- social work

Key Concepts

human need language limits social inequality

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you convey urgency without shame?
- What language best reflects your situation?

A Different Perspective

May be limited by pride or stigma.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aloud Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aloud-written-4812840/) [Ought Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-write-1148825/) [Words Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-said/) [Written Vasilisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-vasilisa-4812839/) [Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote/)

## Related quotes

> [There are significant moments in everyone's day that can make literature. That's what you ought to write about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/there-are-significant-moments-in-everyone-s-day-that-can-make/)

[Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/)

> [An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmaster of ever afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/an-author-ought-to-write-for-the-youth-of-his-own-generation-the-2/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“Write, if you must, because you feel like writing, never because you feel you ought to write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/write-if-you-must-because-you-feel-like-writing-never-because-you/)

[John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/)

> [Sometimes I try to concentrate on the story I would like to write, and I realize that what interests me is something else entirely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/sometimes-i-try-to-concentrate-on-the-story-i-would-like-to-write-and/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“I tell my students that the odds of their getting published and of it bringing them financial security, peace of mind, and even joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-tell-my-students-that-the-odds-of-their-getting-published-and-of-it/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“No man ought to write at all, or even to speak at all, unless he thinks that he is in truth and the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/no-man-ought-to-write-at-all-or-even-to-speak-at-all-unless-he-thinks/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Although you be, as I am, one of those Who feel a Christian ought to write in prose, For poetry is magic: born in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/although-you-be-as-i-am-one-of-those-who-feel-a-christian-ought-to/)

[W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/)

> [“My whole theory of writing I can sum up in one sentence. An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/my-whole-theory-of-writing-i-can-sum-up-in-one-sentence-an-author/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Three hours a day will produce as much as a man ought to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/three-hours-a-day-will-produce-as-much-as-a-man-ought-to-write/)

[Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/)

> [Write what you know will always be excellent advice for those who ought not to write at all. Write what you think, what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/write-what-you-know-will-always-be-excellent-advice-for-those-who/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmaster of ever afterwards.An author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald-2/an-author-ought-to-write-for-the-youth-of-his-own-generation-the/)

[F Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald-2/)

> [Every author ought to write every book as if he were going to be beheaded the day he finished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/every-author-ought-to-write-every-book-as-if-he-were-going-to-be/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Theodore Dreiser Should ought to write nicer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/theodore-dreiser-should-ought-to-write-nicer/)

[Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/)

> [One ought not to write for money, but I consider it a first duty after one has written to exact the highest possible price.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-abigail-dodge/one-ought-not-to-write-for-money-but-i-consider-it-a-first-duty-after/)

[Mary Abigail Dodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-abigail-dodge/)

> [I think a lot of young aspiring writers get misdirected; they think 'I ought to write this, even though I enjoy reading that'. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/i-think-a-lot-of-young-aspiring-writers-get-misdirected-they-think-i/)

[Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/)

## More by Anton Chekhov

> [“Using vile means to attain worthy ends makes the ends themselves vile. Let them ride on the backs of doctors and medical assistants, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/using-vile-means-to-attain-worthy-ends-makes-the-ends-themselves-vile/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [If ever my life can be of any use to you, come and claim it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/if-ever-my-life-can-be-of-any-use-to-you-come-and-claim-it/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [There are still many more days of failure ahead, whole seasons of failure, things will go terribly wrong, you will have huge disappointments ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-still-many-more-days-of-failure-ahead-whole-seasons-of/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“But here was all the timorousness and angularity of inexperienced youth, a feeling of awkwardness, and an impression of bewilderment, as if someone had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/but-here-was-all-the-timorousness-and-angularity-of-inexperienced/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“At the water's edge, barrels of pitch blazed like huge bonfires. Their reflection, crimson as the rising moon, crept to meet us in long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/at-the-water-s-edge-barrels-of-pitch-blazed-like-huge-bonfires-their/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [Anna Petrovna: Never talk to women about your own good qualities. Let them find out for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/anna-petrovna-never-talk-to-women-about-your-own-good-qualities-let/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [While you're playing cards with a regular guy or having a bite to eat with him, he seems a peaceable, good-humoured and not entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/while-you-re-playing-cards-with-a-regular-guy-or-having-a-bite-to-eat/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“Lebedev: France has a clear and defined policy... The French know what they want. They just want to wipe out the Krauts, finish, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/lebedev-france-has-a-clear-and-defined-policy-the-french-know-what/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“My holy of holies are the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and the most absolute freedom - freedom from force and falsity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/my-holy-of-holies-are-the-human-body-health-intelligence-talent/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“What we have, we do not treasure,” and what’s more we do not even love it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/what-we-have-we-do-not-treasure-and-what-s-more-we-do-not-even-love-it/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [No matter how corrupt and unjust a convict may be, he loves fairness more than anything else. If the people placed over him are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/no-matter-how-corrupt-and-unjust-a-convict-may-be-he-loves-fairness/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“It is my opinion that every woman can be a writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-is-my-opinion-that-every-woman-can-be-a-writer/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“His reading suggested a man swimming in the sea among the wreckage of his ship, and trying to save his life by greedily clutching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/his-reading-suggested-a-man-swimming-in-the-sea-among-the-wreckage-of/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“Experience often repeated, truly bitter experience, had taught him long ago that with decent people, especially Moscow people -- always slow to move and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/experience-often-repeated-truly-bitter-experience-had-taught-him-long/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“Why do you always wear black?” "I am mourning for my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/why-do-you-always-wear-black-i-am-mourning-for-my-life/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

[Explore all 679 Anton Chekhov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

## More Wrote quotes

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/)

[Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/)

> [As soon as I began, it seemed impossible to write fast enough - I wrote faster than I would write a letter - two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/as-soon-as-i-began-it-seemed-impossible-to-write-fast-enough-i-wrote/)

[Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/)

> [What I was concerned about when I wrote the 'Downward Spiral' record was being a self-centred destructive force. The point was tearing down everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/what-i-was-concerned-about-when-i-wrote-the-downward-spiral-record/)

[Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/)

> [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/)

[Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/)

> [I was born with a silver microphone in my mouth, and that was an advantage. My father wrote books and was also a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/i-was-born-with-a-silver-microphone-in-my-mouth-and-that-was-an/)

[Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/)

> [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

> [We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-do-need-different-types-of-propulsion-to-get-to-mars-i-wrote-one/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [“I wrote it because I am done living in a world where women are lied to about their bodies; where women are objects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/i-wrote-it-because-i-am-done-living-in-a-world-where-women-are-lied/)

[Emily Nagoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/)

> [The NSA and Israel wrote Stuxnet together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-nsa-and-israel-wrote-stuxnet-together/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [I just started writing for my own amusement and occasionally singing in little clubs around Los Angeles. Then I wrote 'The Rose,' and through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-mcbroom/i-just-started-writing-for-my-own-amusement-and-occasionally-singing/)

[Amanda McBroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-mcbroom/)

> [I grew up - my dad, every time I was with my dad, he was always - not always, but he wrote. He's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ad-rock/i-grew-up-my-dad-every-time-i-was-with-my-dad-he-was-always-not/)

[Ad-Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ad-rock/)

> [I didnt write Snow White for any class, but I got bitten by the screenwriting bug and wrote a couple of scripts in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-daugherty/i-didnt-write-snow-white-for-any-class-but-i-got-bitten-by-the/)

[Evan Daugherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-daugherty/)

> [I was the type of kid that wrote all over my shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-was-the-type-of-kid-that-wrote-all-over-my-shoes/)

[Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/)

[Browse all 1,526 Wrote quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He wrote and kept reading aloud what was written, while Vasilisa considered what she ought to write: how great had been their want the year before, how their corn had not lasted even till Christmas, how they had to sell their cow. She ought to ask for money, ought to write that the old father was often ailing and would soon no doubt give up his soul to God … but how to express this in words? What must be said first and what afterwards?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anton Chekhov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was-written-while-vasilisa/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Wrote"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was-written-while-vasilisa/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/anton-chekhov-298_quote_he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was_1385477.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/anton-chekhov-298_quote_he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was_1385477.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/anton-chekhov-298_quote_he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was_1385477.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He wrote and kept reading aloud what was written, while Vasilisa considered what she ought to write: how…” — Anton Chekhov",
                "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": "Anton Chekhov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He wrote and kept reading aloud...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was-written-while-vasilisa/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/he-wrote-and-kept-reading-aloud-what-was-written-while-vasilisa/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
