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Love, friendship and respect do not unite people as much as a common hatred for something.
Anton Chekhov
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Common hatred can bind people together more effectively than love or friendship.

This quote by Anton Chekhov highlights the paradoxical nature of human relationships, suggesting that negative emotions like hatred can create stronger bonds among individuals than positive feelings such as love and friendship. It implies that when people share a common adversary or disdain for something, their unity is fortified, even if it's based on negativity rather than mutual respect or affection.

Themes

HatredUnityRelationshipsFriendshipNegativity

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could resonate during a discussion about social movements that unite people against a common cause.

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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.
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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?
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Quote by Anton Chekhov | QuoteProject