Youth eats all the sugared fancy cakes and regards them as its daily bread. But there'll come a time when you'll start asking just for a crust.
Ivan TurgenevRead
In days of doubt, in days of dreary musings on my country's fate, you alone are my comfort and support, oh great, powerful, righteous, and free Russian language!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses a deep appreciation for the Russian language as a source of comfort and strength during troubling times.
Ivan Turgenev's quote highlights the profound connection between a person's identity and their language, especially during difficult moments in life. In times of uncertainty, the author finds solace and inspiration in the beauty and power of the Russian language, suggesting that language can provide emotional support and a sense of belonging when faced with national or personal challenges.
Themes
RussianLanguageComfortSupportIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about cultural identity, one might reference Turgenev's words to emphasize the importance of language.
More from Ivan Turgenev
All quotes →To desire and expect nothing for oneself and to have profound sympathy for others is genuine holiness.
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So many memories and so little worth remembering, and in front of me - a long, long road without a goal.
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If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.
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Whereas I think: I’m lying here in a haystack... The tiny space I occupy is so infinitesimal in comparison with the rest of space, which I don’t occupy and which has no relation to me. And the period of time in which I’m fated to live is so insignificant beside the eternity in which I haven’t existed and won’t exist... And yet in this atom, this mathematical point, blood is circulating, a brain is working, desiring something... What chaos! What a farce!
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Death's an old joke, but each individual encounters it anew.
Ivan TurgenevRead
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