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Capital punishment kills immediately, whereas lifetime imprisonment does so slowly. Which executioner is more humane? The one who kills you in a few minutes, or the one who wrests your life from you in the course of many years?

— Anton Chekhov The Bet (1889)

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More quotes by Anton Chekhov

People should be beautiful in every way—in their faces, in the way they dress, in their thoughts and in their innermost selves.

Uncle Vanya (1897)

It’s not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because it flows freely from his soul.

The Seagull (1896)

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)

How easy it is, Doctor, to be a philosopher on paper, and how hard it is in life!

The Seagull (1896)

There should be more sincerity and heart in human relations, more silence and simplicity in our interactions. Be rude when you’re angry, laugh when something is funny, and answer when you’re asked.

All Anton Chekhov quotes →

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Anton Chekhov (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.