A woman can only become a man’s friend in three stages: first, she’s an agreeable acquaintance, then a mistress, and only after that a friend. Uncle Vanya (1897)
Watching a woman make Russian pancakes, you might think that she was calling on the spirits or extracting from the batter the philosopher’s stone. Russian Pancakes or Bliny (1886)
Women writers should write a lot if they want to write. Take the English women, for example. What amazing workers.
If you wish women to love you, be original; I know a man who used to wear felt boots summer and winter, and women fell in love with him. Note-Book of Anton Chekhov (1921)