Quotes from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“They don’t listen to me, they don’t hear me, they don’t see me.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“Do we ever get what we really want? Do we ever achieve what our powers have ostensibly equipped us for? No: everything works by contraries.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“April 43rd 2000

Today is the day of great triumph. There is a king of Spain. He has been found at last. That king is me. I only discovered this today. Frankly, it all came to me in a flash.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“But my very latest discovery made me feel better. I had found that every rooster has his own Spain and he has it under his feathers.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“I am very fond of the theatre. If I have only a kopeck in my pocket, I always go there. Most of my fellow-officials are uneducated boors, and never enter a theatre unless one throws free tickets at their head.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“La gloire ne peut apporter de joie à qui l'a volée: elle ne fait palpiter que les cœurs dignes d'elle.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“Der Mond wird doch gewöhnlich in Hamburg hergestellt, und zwar sehr nachlässig. Ich wundere mich, dass England dem keine Aufmerksamkeit schenkt. Ein lahmer Böttcher stellt ihn her, und der Dummkopf hat offenbar keine Ahnung vom Mond. Er nimmt geteertes Tauwerk und einen Teil Baumöl, und davon verbreitet sich über die Erde entsetzlicher Gestank, so dass man die Nase zustopfen muss. Und daher ist der Mond eine so zerbrechliche Kugel, auf der kein Mensch leben kann, auf der nur Nasen leben. Und deshalb können wir unsere Nasen selber nicht sehen, weil sie sich auf dem Mond befinden.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“Keşke hiç olmasaydın şu dünyada, keşke sana hiç rastlamasaydım, keşke canlı bir varlık olacak yerde esinli bir ressamın yarattığı bir tablo olsaydın. O zaman resminin önünden hiç ayrılmaz, sonsuzcasına sana bakardım... öper, öperdim seni. Sonsuz güzel bir düş gibi seni yaşar, seni solur ve... mutlu olurdum.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“I think that it is one of the most refined joys of this world to interchange thoughts, feelings, and impressions.” (H'm!”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“Así desapareció un ser humano que nunca tuvo quién lo amparara, a quien nadie había querido y que jamás interesó a nadie”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“Что-то раздирало мою душу на части и не могло разодрать.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“Woman is in love with the devil.”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

“Beni en çok meraka düşüren, yarın bizi bekleyen önemli olay. Yarın sabah saat yedide garip bir tabiat olayı ile karşılaşacağız. Yeryüzümüz Ay'a bindirecek... Ünlü İngiliz kimyacısı Wellington da kaydetmişti bunu. İtiraf ederim, Ay'ın narin, dayanıksız yapısını düşündükçe sonucu fena hâlde merak ediyorum. Ay genel olarak Hamburg'da yapılır, hem yapılışı da çok kötüdür... İngiltere'nin bu konuyla neden ilgilenmediğine şaşarım. Zaten Ay'ı yapan, Ay hakkında en ufak bilgisi olmayan, aptal, üstelik topal bir fıçıcıdır. Üstündeki ziftli halata zeytinyağı sürdükleri için, yeryüzünün her yanı bu kadar pis kokuyor... Öte yandan bu derece nazik, ince yapılı Ay, insanların orada barınması için elverişli değildir, sadece burunları yerleşebilir Ay'a... Zaten bu yüzden Ay'da bulunan burunlarımızı göremeyiz. Şimdi Ay'ın yeryüzümüz gibi ağır bir nesne altında kalmasıyla burunlarımızın nasıl pestil haline geleceğini düşündüm ve kuşkulandım doğrusu. Çorabımı, kunduralarımı giyerek doğru toplantı salonuna gittim. Polis kuvvetlerine yeryüzünün Ay'ın üstüne oturmasını önlemeleri için emir verecektim. Toplantı salonunda gene kafaları tıraşlı bir sürü soylu kişiyle karşılaştım.
-Baylar! dedim. Ay tehlikededir. Yeryüzüne bindirecek... Kurtaralım Ay'ı!
Bunu söyler söylemez zeki, anlayışlı İspanya soyluları emrimi yerine getirmek için hep birden öne atıldılar. Bazıları Ay'ı korumak maksadıyla duvara tırmanmaya başladılar. Ama tam o sırada salona başvekil girdi; herkes kaçıştı... Kral olduğum için orada tek başıma kaldım. Acayip başvekil sırtıma sopa indire indire beni odama soktu. İspanya'nın milli gelenekleri pek şiddetli doğrusu!”
― Nikolai Gogol, quote from Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

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