If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there.
Anton ChekhovRead
He always seemed to women different from what he was, and they loved in him not himself, but the man created by their imagination, whom they had been eagerly seeking all their lives; and afterwards, when they noticed their mistake, they loved him all the same.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects how people often fall in love with an idealized version of someone rather than their true self, and even after realizing this, they may continue to love them.
This quote by Anton Chekhov delves into the nature of romantic relationships, highlighting how women often project their desires and fantasies onto a man, seeing him as the embodiment of their dreams. Initially captivated by this imagined version, they may overlook his true character, leading to a form of love that persists even when reality sets in. It suggests a complexity in love where expectations and reality intertwine, exposing the tendency to romanticize partners while simultaneously recognizing a deeper connection despite the disillusionment.
Themes
LoveRelationshipsImaginationSelfPerception
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the misconceptions in romantic relationships.
More from Anton Chekhov
All quotes →There are still many more days of failure ahead, whole seasons of failure, things will go terribly wrong, you will have huge disappointments , but you have to prepare for that, you have to expect it and be resolute and follow your own path.
Anton ChekhovRead
Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
Anton ChekhovRead
To a chemist, nothing on earth is unclean. A writer must be as objective as a chemist; he must abandon the subjective line; he must know that dungheaps play a very respectable part in a landscape, and that evil passions are as inherent in life as good ones.
Anton ChekhovRead
When you want to touch the reader's heart, try to be colder. It gives their grief as it were, a background, against which it stands out in greater relief.
Anton ChekhovRead
Why are we worn out? Why do we, who start out so passionate, brave, noble, believing, become totally bankrupt by the age of thirty or thirty-five? Why is it that one is extinguished by consumption, another puts a bullet in his head, a third seeks oblivion in vodka, cards, a fourth, in order to stifle fear and anguish, cynically tramples underfoot the portrait of his pure, beautiful youth? Why is it that, once fallen, we do not try to rise, and, having lost one thing, we do not seek another? Why?
Anton ChekhovRead
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