Nikolai Gogol II

The longer and more carefully we look at a funny story, the sadder it becomes.

I am fated to journey hand in hand with my strange heroes and to survey the surging immensity of life, to survey it through the laughter that all can see and through the tears unseen and unknown by anyone.

I am who I am and that's who I am.

Two turtle doves will show thee
Where my cold ashes lie
And sadly murmuring tell thee
How in tears I did die

However stupid a fools words may be, they are sometimes enough to confound an intelligent man.

We have the marvelous gift of making everything insignificant.

Perfect nonsense goes on in the world. Sometimes there is no plausibility at all.

Always think of what is useful and not what is beautiful. Beauty will come of its own accord.

There are occasions when a woman, no matter how weak and impotent in character she may be in comparison with a man, will yet suddenly become not only harder than any man, but even harder than anything and everything in the world.

But wise is the man who disdains no character, but with searching glance explores him to the root and cause of all.