--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art, science, love, inspiration…" description: "\"“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—..." 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… ![“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. And Chekhov himself faded, withered and died before our eyes. Only his wonderful…” quote by Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/lev-shestov-12374_art_art-science-love-inspiration-ideals-choo_25462.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/lev-shestov-12374_art_art-science-love-inspiration-ideals-choo_25462.jpg) [Open 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 consoled or to be amused—Chekhov has only to touch them and they instantly wither and die. And Chekhov himself faded, withered and died before our eyes. Only his wonderful art did not die—his art to kill by a mere touch, a breath, a glance, everything whereby men live and wherein they take their pride. And in this art he was constantly perfecting himself, and he attained to a virtuosity beyond the reach of any of his rivals in European literature.”” [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chekhov's art transcends conventional comforts, delivering a raw, unflinching portrayal of human existence that endures beyond his own mortality. **In simple terms:** Chekhov's art is stark, timeless, and transformative. Key Takeaway His work kills complacency with a single touch. Themes existentialism literary modernism human condition mortality artistic authenticity Mood apective melancholic reverent Type literary criticism philosophical reflection When to use this quote - reading Chekhov's stories - studying modernist literature - teaching literature - reflecting on personal mortality Key Concepts transcendence impermanence psychological depth Practical Applications - literary analysis - creative writing inspiration Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean for art to 'kill' complacency? - How does Chekhov's mortality shape his legacy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“If he tells the truth, it is because the most reeking lie no longer intoxicates him, even though he swallow it not in the…](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/) > [“To define his tendency in a word, I would say that Chekhov was the poet of hopelessness. 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My father is a scientist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-silverman/i-do-love-science-my-father-is-a-scientist/) [Allison Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-silverman/) > [I love science fiction but especially his because it's so humane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-love-science-fiction-but-especially-his-because-it-s-so-humane/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Love is a chemical reaction, But it cannot be fully understood or defined by science. And though a body cannot exist without a soul,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/love-is-a-chemical-reaction-but-it-cannot-be-fully-understood-or/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [In history love is war,in science love is a reaction,in math love is a problem,in my heart it is you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana/in-history-love-is-war-in-science-love-is-a-reaction-in-math-love-is/) Adriana > [I love science fiction. I always have, ever since I was a kid. I love a lot of science fiction writers. William Gibson is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahmoh-penikett/i-love-science-fiction-i-always-have-ever-since-i-was-a-kid-i-love-a/) [Tahmoh Penikett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahmoh-penikett/) > [Literary science fiction is a very, very narrow band of the publishing business. I love science fiction in more of a pop-culture sense. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/literary-science-fiction-is-a-very-very-narrow-band-of-the-publishing/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [People who love science fiction really do love sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/people-who-love-science-fiction-really-do-love-sex/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) > [There is only one science, love, one riches, love, only one policy, love. To make love is all the law and the prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/there-is-only-one-science-love-one-riches-love-only-one-policy-love/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) ## More by 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. 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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/) > [“Dostoevsky's nature was two-fold, like Spinoza's, and like that of nearly all those who try to awaken humanity from its torpor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/dostoevsky-s-nature-was-two-fold-like-spinoza-s-and-like-that-of/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) [Explore all 54 Lev Shestov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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