Quotes from What Is to Be Done?

“But does it really help if a person doesn't realize what he lacks, or, if he does, he insists that he doesn't need it at all? That's an illusion, a fantasy. Human nature is stifled by reason, circumstances, and pride. It keeps silent and doesn't make itself known to one's consciousness, all the while silently doing its work of undermining life.”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

“Только тот любит, кто помогает любимой женщине возвышаться до независимости.”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

“...there's no task more difficult than duping a sincere, honest man if he has the least bit of intelligence and life experience. Reasonably intelligent individuals are never hoodwinked individually. But they possess another, equally harmful form of this human frailty: they are subject to mass delusion. A swindler will never be able to lead a single individual by the nose; but as for a large group taken together, their noses are always ready and willing! Meanwhile, the swindlers, weak as individuals and each led by his own nose, when taken together can never be led by their noses. That's the whole secret of world history.”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

“[...] Но вот что слишком немногими испытано, что очаровательность, которую всему дает любовь, вовсе не должна, по-настоящему, быть мимолетным явлением в жизни человека, что этот яркий свет жизни не должен озарять только эпоху искания, стремления, назовем хотя так: ухаживания, или сватания, нет, что эта эпоха по-настоящему должна быть только зарею, милою, прекрасною, но предшественницею дня, в котором несравненно больше и света и теплоты, чем в его предшественнице, свет и теплота которого долго, очень долго растут, все растут, и особенно теплота очень долго растет, далеко за полдень все еще растет. Прежде было не так: когда соединялись любящие, быстро исчезала поэзия любви. Теперь у тех людей, которые называются нынешними людьми, вовсе не так. Они, когда соединяет их любовь, чем дольше живут вместе, тем больше и больше озаряются и согреваются ее поэзиею, до той самой поры, позднего вечера, когда заботы о вырастающих детях будут уже слишком сильно поглощать их мысли. Тогда забота более сладкая, чем личное наслаждение, становится выше его, но до той поры оно все растет. То, что прежние люди знали только на мимолетные месяцы, нынешние люди сохраняют в себе на долгие, долгие годы.

Отчего это так? А это уж секрет; я вам, пожалуй, выдам его. Хороший секрет, славно им пользоваться, и не мудрено, только надобно иметь для этого чистое сердце и честную душу, да нынешнее понятие о правах человека, уважение к свободе того, с кем живешь. Только, - больше и секрета нет никакого. Смотри на жену, как смотрел на невесту, знай, что она каждую минуту имеет право сказать: "я недовольна тобою, прочь от меня"; смотри на нее так, и она через девять лет после твоей свадьбы будет внушать тебе такое же поэтическое чувство, как невеста, нет, более поэтическое, более идеальное в хорошем смысле слова. Признавай ее свободу так же открыто и формально, и без всяких оговорок, как признаешь свободу твоих друзей чувствовать или не чувствовать дружбу к тебе, и тогда, через десять лет, через двадцать лет после свадьбы, ты будешь ей так же мил, как был женихом.”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

“Но уж так устроен человек, что трудно ему судить о своих делах по общему правилу: охотник он делать исключения в свою пользу.”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

“Всякий видит, что красивое лицо красиво, а до какой именно степени оно красиво, как это разберешь, пока ранг не определен дипломом? Верочку в галлерее или в последних рядах кресел, конечно, не замечали; но когда она явилась в ложе 2-го яруса, на нее было наведено очень много биноклей; а сколько похвал ей слышал Сторешников, когда, проводив ее, отправился в фойэ!”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

“С той поры я уж и знал, что если страшно от сильного пожара, то надобно бежать туда и работать, и вовсе не будет страшно. Кто работает, тому некогда ни пугаться, ни чувствовать отвращение или брезгливость.”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

“Isn’t that always the way it is: if a person’s inclined to look for something, he finds it wherever he looks. Even if there’s no trace of it at all, he still finds clear evidence. Even if there’s not even a shadow, still he sees not only a shadow of what he’s looking for but everything he’s looking for. He sees it in the most unmistakable terms, and these terms become clearer with each new glance and every new thought.”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

“¡Muere, pero no des un beso sin amor!”
― Nikolai Chernyshevsky, quote from What Is to Be Done?

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Popular quotes

“They faced what the morning would bring with the only weapon they had–their love for each other. Love is great, love is the foundation of nobility, it conquers obstacles and is a deep well of truth and strength.”
― Gerda Weissmann Klein, quote from All But My Life: A Memoir

“A young man came to a sage one day and asked, "Sire, what must I do to become wise?" The sage vouchsafed no answer. The youth after repeating his question a number of times, with a like result, at last left him, to return the next day with the same question. Again no answer was given and the youth returned on the third day, still repeat- ing his question, "Sire, what must I do to become wise?" Finally the'sage turned and went down to a near-by river. He entered the water, bidding the youth follow him. Upon arriving at a sufficient depth the sage took the young man by the shoulders and held him under the water, despite his struggles to free himself. At last, however, he released him and when the youth had regained his breath the sage questioned him: "Son, when you were under the water what did you most desire?" "The youth answered without hesitation, "Air, air! I wanted air!" "Would you not rather have had riches, pleasure, power or love, my son? Did you not think of any of these?" queried the sage. "No, sire! I wanted air and thought only of air," came the instant response. "Then," said the sage, "to become wise you must desire wisdom with as great intensity as you just now desired air. You must struggle for it, to the exclusion of every other aim in life. It must be your one and only aspiration, by day and by night. If you seek wisdom with that fervor, my son, you will surely beeome wise.”
― Max Heindel, quote from The Rosicrucian cosmo-conception: or, Mystic Christianity; an elementary treatise upon man's past evolution, present constitution and future development

“Bryn,” I murmured, twisting around to see his sleeping face steeped in the brightness of the day. I stroked my fingers down his cheek and ran my hands through his silky mane of black hair. I must be dead, I mused, for certainly waking up in Bryn’s arms is heaven.”
― D.T. Dyllin, quote from Hidden Gates

“If we’re lucky, God blesses us with a few folks who are willing to look beyond the flaws and see the person we try so hard to hide. And if we’re blessed, we find someone who’ll love us anyway.”
― Lorna Seilstad, quote from Making Waves

“....and I gazed at these forms incomprehensible to me, but which revealed the immortal thoughts of the greatest shatterer of dreams who had ever dwelt on earth.”
― Guy de Maupassant, quote from The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant, Part One

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BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

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