Sergey Dovlatov quotes and aphorisms. “30 best quotes by Sergei Dovlatov ... I walked and thought the world was engulfed in madness

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Sergey; th Dona; tovich Dovla; tov (according to the passport - Dovla; tov-Me; chik; September 3, 1941, Ufa, USSR - August 24, 1990, New York, USA) - Soviet and American writer and journalist.
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“A person is used to asking himself: who am I ?
There is a scientist, an American, a chauffeur, a Jew, an immigrant ... But you should always ask yourself: am I shit? ***
“All my life I blew through a telescope and was surprised that there was no music.
And then he carefully looked into the trombone and was surprised that not a damn thing was visible. ***
“We endlessly scold Comrade Stalin, and, of course, for the cause.
And yet I want to ask - who wrote four million denunciations? ***
"I prefer to be alone, but next to someone..."
***
"Insolence is a way of action, that is, pressure without moral and legal grounds..."
***
"Born to crawl, does not want to fly.
***
"The friends turned out to be three relatively young women."
***
"If the writer is good, the editor doesn't seem to be required, if the writer is bad, then the editor won't save him."
***
"The antonym of love is not even indifference or disgust, but a banal Lie."
***
“There is no need to hide from happiness, because life is short.
Behind the ocean of birth, in front of the ocean of death, and our life is just a narrow strip of land between them. ***
“According to Solzhenitsyn, the camp is hell.
I think that hell is ourselves.” ***
“As you know, there is no equality in marriage.
The advantage is always on the side of the one who loves less. If that's an advantage." ***
“Talent is like lust.
It's hard to hide. It's even harder to simulate." ***
"True courage is to love life, knowing the whole truth about it"
***
"I was sick for three days, and it was wonderfully reflected in my health."
***
“Women are smarter than I thought.
We ate, drank and retreated.” ***
“Two are more than You and Me. Two are We...”
***
“Crisis is a stable phenomenon.
Decline is generally more stable than progress.” ***
“Do you know what is most important in life?
The main thing is that life is one. A minute passed and it was over. There won't be another...” ***
“You don't have to be like everyone else, because we are like everyone else...”
***
“For some reason, I always worry if two women are left alone.
Especially since one of them is my wife.” ;Sergey Dovlatov
***
“Well, he died and died... And he did the right thing, in general...”
;Sergey Dovlatov
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Sergey Dovlatov
“Freedom is equally supportive of both bad and good.
Under its rays, both gladioli and marijuana bloom equally quickly ... " ***
"In the fight against absurdity, this is how one must act.
The reaction should be just as absurd. And ideally - quiet insanity" ***
"One of the serious sensations associated with our time was the feeling of impending absurdity, when madness becomes more or less normal" ***
"
It is very difficult to live in freedom.
Because freedom is equally favorable to both bad and good. ***
"Writers from a good life do not become."
***
"It's easy to offend a writer, but difficult to understand."
***
"Disinterested lies are not lies, they are poetry."
***
“I think love has no dimensions at all.
There is only yes or no” ***
“I know that freedom is a philosophical concept.
I am not interested. After all, slaves are not interested in philosophy. Go where you want - that's what freedom is! ..” ***
“A genius is an immortal version of a simple person.”
***
“The world is engulfed in madness.
Madness is becoming the norm. The norm evokes a feeling of a miracle.” ***
“Our life is just a grain of sand in the indifferent ocean of infinity.
So let's try not to overshadow this moment with despondency and boredom! Let's try to leave a scratch on the earth's crust. And let the strap be pulled by the human middle peasant. Still, he doesn't do anything. And he doesn't even commit crimes...» ***
«Only death is irreparable!..» Not such a stupid idea, if you think about it...»
***
«Actually, I don't even know what love is.
There are no criteria at all. Unhappy love - I still understand this. What if everything is fine? In my opinion, this is disturbing. There is a catch in the sense of the norm. And yet even more terrible - chaos ... " ***
"Life goes on, even when it, in essence, does not exist."
***
“The family is not a cell of the state.
The family is the state. Struggle for power, economic, creative and cultural problems. Exploitation, dreams of freedom, revolutionary sentiments. Etc. All of that is family." ***
“Don't think, that's all.
I haven't thought about it for fifteen years. And you will think - you will not want to live. Everyone who thinks is unfortunate...” ***
“Man to man... how to put it better - tabula rasa.
In other words, anything. Depending on the circumstances. A person is capable of everything - bad and good. I'm sad that this is the case. So God give us strength and courage. And even better - the circumstances of the time and place, conducive to good ... " ***
"In general, if it happened that I would earn a lot of money, I would probably stop my journalistic activities.
But, on the other hand, if I had earned a lot of money, I would also stop my literary activity. I would stop all creativity. I would lie on the couch, create some kind of organization, travel around the world, help everyone financially, which, by the way, gives me a lot of joy.” ***
“In general, I noticed that human charm is quite difficult to destroy.
Far more difficult than reason, principles or beliefs. ***
“A person is not kind, not vile, not a friend, not a comrade, not a brother. Man is not a wolf to man.

* * *
(1) Our memory is selective, like an urn...

* * *
(2) God does not ask for more.

* * *
(3) It is difficult to choose between a fool and a scoundrel, especially if the scoundrel is also a fool.

* * *
(4) It is good to go when called. Terrible - when not called. However, it is best when they call, but you do not go ...

* * *
(5) Love, friendship, respect bind not so much as a general hatred of something.

* * *
(6) Love is for youth. For military personnel and athletes...

* * *
(7) I read so much about the dangers of alcohol! Decided to quit forever ... to read.

* * *
(8) Dozens of books have been written about the dangers of alcohol. About the benefits of it - not a single brochure. It seems to me in vain ...

* * *
(9) No need to be like everyone else, because we are like everyone else ...

* * *
(10) The desire to command in an area foreign to oneself is tyranny.

* * *
(11) A genius is an immortal version of a common man.

* * *
(12) Genius does not oppose the crowd. Genius opposes mediocre artists. Moreover, both authoritarian and democratic directions.

* * *
(13) Everyone understands that a genius must have acquaintances. But who will believe that his friend is a genius?!

* * *
(14) Talent is like lust. It's hard to hide. Even harder to simulate.

* * *
(15) The people around do not love the honest, but the kind. Not brave, but smart. Not principled, but condescending. In other words, unprincipled.

* * *
(16) Nobility is the willingness to act contrary to one's own interests.

* * *
(17) Incorruptibility is more of a concern for those who are not bought.

* * *
(18) Clear truth is opposed to falsehood. Profound truth is opposed by another truth, no less profound.

* * *
(19) Only death is irreparable.

* * *
(20) More terrible than death is cowardice, cowardice, and the inevitable after that - slavery.

* * *
(21) In Moscow, crooks and swindlers called themselves "business people". The concepts "broker" and "businessman" are associated with prison bars.

* * *
(22) After the communists, I hate anti-communists the most.

* * *
(23) Money is freedom, space, whims ... Having money, it is so easy to endure poverty ...

* * *
(24) I have money - whores do not peck.

* * *
(25) My money, say, runs out quickly, loneliness - never.

* * *
(26) Humor is the inversion of common sense. The smile of the mind.

* * *
(27) Humor is the adornment of a nation ... As long as we are able to joke, we remain a great people!

* * *
(28) Irony is the favorite, and most importantly, the only weapon of the defenseless.

* * *
(29) I am so tall that I have to climb on a stool to shave.

* * *
(30) Not everything is gold that is without gold.

* * *
(31) Criticism is part of literature. Philology is an indirect product of it. The critic looks at literature from within. Philologist - from the nearest bell tower.

* * *
(32) In opposition, the girl escorted the fighter.

* * *
(33) Born to crawl to fly ... does not want to.

* * *
(34) If you give creative freedom to a rooster, he will still crow.

* * *
(35) I prefer to be alone, but next to someone ...

* * *
(36) Freedom is equally favorable to both bad and good. Under its rays, both gladioli and marijuana bloom equally quickly ...

* * *
(37) He who lives in the world of words does not get along with things.

* * *
(38) If we stop now, it will be artificial. We drank when there was no money. It's stupid not to drink now that they are...

* * *
(39) Woman, as such, is a miracle.

* * *
(40) There is no geographical province, there is a spiritual province.

* * *
(41) An increased disposition towards oneself is immodest. An elevated disposition towards one's people is chauvinism.

* * *
(42) Collective narcissism looks no less stupid than personal.

* * *
(43) What happiness it is to say what you think! What a torment it is to think what you are saying!

* * *
(44) It is possible, while discussing hydatopyromorphism, to be a complete fool. And vice versa, ranting about fried mushrooms, be a very smart person.

* * *
(45) The slogan for shooting: "Kill, motherfucking children, twenty-five out of thirty!"

* * *
(46) When I create for a newspaper, my handwriting changes.

* * *
(47) The critic looks at literature from within. Philologist - from the nearest bell tower.

* * *
(48) I am not interested in what they write about me. I get offended when they don't write.

* * *
(49) All talented people write differently, all mediocre people write the same way and even in the same handwriting.

* * *
(50) Language cannot be bad or good... After all, language is only a mirror. The same mirror, which is stupid to blame.

* * *
(51) All normal people have complexes, only degenerates and skiers do not have them.

* * *
(52) Snobbery is the only plant that flowers even in the desert.

* * *
(53) The opposite of love is not disgust or even indifference, but lies.

* * *
(54) The scarcity of thought breeds legions of like-minded people.

* * *
(55) Two rude women - Scylla Efimovna and Kharibda Abramovna.

* * *
(56) Alcoholism is curable, drunkenness is not.

* * *
(57) Tigers, for example, respect lions, elephants, and hippos. Mandavoshki - nobody!

* * *
(58) Philistines are people who are sure that they should be fine.

* * *
(59) Judged by character traits. They are condemned for the properties of nature.

* * *
(60) What is democracy? Maybe a dialogue between a person and the state?

* * *
(61) The penitent sinner, at least in words, separates good and evil.

* * *
(62) He who suffers does not sin.

* * *
(63) I did not think that the most difficult thing would be to overcome life as such.

* * *
(64) Creativity is like a struggle with time. Victory over time. That is the victory over death.

* * *
(65) The killer wished to remain anonymous.

* * *
(66) I love you. And even a possible gonorrhea will not stop me.

* * *
(67) It's better to have a gag than a gag.

* * *
(68) Silence is a great power. It should be banned as a bacteriological weapon...

* * *
(69) When the brave is silent, the cowardly is silent.

* * *
(70) Any signature wants to be considered an autograph.

* * *
(71) One of my grandfather's fights with God ended in a draw.

* * *
(72) What is the difference between a corpse and a dead person? In one case, it is a dead body. In the other, a dead person.

* * *
(73) True courage consists in loving life, knowing the whole truth about it.

* * *
(74) The greatest misfortune of my life is the death of Anna Karenina!

* * *
(75) It's amazing that even matches are good and bad.

* * *
(76) A decent person is one who does nasty things without pleasure.

* * *
(77) He looked like a diver. Just as alone and impenetrable.

* * *
(78) Selfless lies are not lies, they are poetry.

* * *
(79) I was sick for three days, and this had a great effect on my health.

* * *
(80) Geniuses, of course, have neighbors, like everyone else, but are you ready to admit that your neighbor is a genius?

* * *
(81) Passion for inanimate objects irritates me. I think love for birches triumphs at the expense of love for man.

* * *
(82) Jazz is ourselves at our best hours.

* * *
(83) Tourism is the livelihood of the idle.

* * *
(84) Truth does not always belong to the majority. But it belongs to a minority even more rarely.

* * *
(85) There are three levels of life. The first one is for oneself, the second one is for people, and the third one is for God. God in this case is the highest principle.

* * *
(86) Two is more than You and I. Two is We...

* * *
(87) Man to man - anything ... Depending on the combination of circumstances.

* * *
(88) A family is if you guess by the sound who exactly is washing in the shower.

* * *
(89) The possessive instinct is expressed in different ways. It may be the love of one's own goodness. Or maybe hatred of others.

* * *
(90) Mercantilism is mediocrity in disguise.

* * *
(91) Barbecue is the only place where a broken face is the norm.

* * *
(92) If you give creative freedom to a rooster, he will still crow.

* * *
(93) A person is used to asking himself: who am I? There is a scientist, a driver, a Jew, an immigrant. And you should ask yourself all the time: am I shit?

* * *
(94) To be jealous is to take revenge on yourself for the mistakes of others.

* * *
(95) I noticed a long time ago: when they demand idiocy from a person, he is always called a professional.

* * *
(96) In a foreign language, we lose eighty percent of our personality. We lose the ability to joke, to be ironic.

* * *
(97) Where there is more noise, people gather there. Maybe it's easier to be nobody in the noise?

* * *
(98) Some have thoughts. Others have like-minded...

* * *
(99) In any situation, some amount of absurdity is necessary.

* * *
(100) It is pointless to inspire the idea of the aroma of a melon to a person who has chewed shoelaces for years ...

* * *
(101) In any work there is a place for creativity.

* * *
(102) Human charm is quite difficult to destroy. Far more difficult than reason, principles, or beliefs.

* * *
(103) Politeness masks vices.

* * *
(104) Insolence is the same impudence plus lack of shame.

* * *
(105) Poetry is a form of human suffering. God does not give a person a poetic talent, but a talent for a bad life.

* * *
(106) An artist is a donor. It is the donor who gives himself without demanding remuneration.

* * *
(107) Women love only scoundrels, everyone knows that. However, not everyone is given to be a scoundrel.

* * *
(108) Weak people overcome life, courageous people master it.

* * *
(109) Charm, as you know, balances any vices.

* * *
(110) A noble person perceives any misfortune as retribution for his own sins. He blames only himself, no matter what grief befell him.

* * *
(111) All people can be divided into two categories. For those who ask. And those who answer. For those who ask questions. And those who frown in annoyance in response.

* * *
(112) I am convinced that any thought of a poor man in love is criminal.

* * *
(113) Talking and eating at the same time is a rather complicated science. Own it, I noticed, only elderly Caucasians.

* * *
(114) A person who constantly asks must sooner or later learn to answer.

* * *
(115) An inferiority complex can ruin a human soul. Push a person to horrendous atrocities. Or maybe lift it up to the sky.

* * *
(116) I think love has no dimensions at all. There is only yes or no.

* * *
(117) Life has turned my cousin into a criminal. I think he got lucky. Otherwise, he would inevitably become a major party functionary.

* * *
(118) Nadya I will find and cripple you like a monkey... I guarantee that... And remember, bitch, Vovik loves you!

* * *
(119) Skillfully falling behind is also an art. It's even harder than winning. Ahead are mediocre horses.

* * *
(120) Eh ... Muds floated along a block of water ...

* * *
(121) With your trousers, Dovlatov, you break the festive atmosphere of these places! ..

* * *
(122) The Soviet government did not deserve me to shave!

* * *
(123) The more hopeless the goal, the deeper the emotions.

* * *
(124) I'm not sure that in life a crime is inevitably followed by repentance, and a feat - bliss. We are what we feel.

* * *
(125) There is no greater tragedy for a man than a complete lack of character!

* * *
(126) I counted the money without taking my hand out of my pocket.

* * *
(127) I felt disgusted and left. Or rather, he stayed.

* * *
(128) It's crazy to live with a man who doesn't leave just because he's lazy...

* * *
(129) The only honest road is the path of mistakes, disappointments and hopes.

* * *
(130) We endlessly scold Comrade Stalin, and, of course, for the cause. And yet I want to ask - who wrote four million denunciations?

* * *
(131) All my life I blew through a telescope and was surprised that there was no music. And then he carefully looked into the trombone and was surprised that not a damn thing was visible.

* * *
(132) Most people consider insoluble those problems, the solution of which they are not satisfied with.

* * *
(133) I am absolutely convinced that you can conquer any woman by endlessly photographing her.

* * *
(134) There is no, as you know, equality in marriage. The advantage is always on the side of the one who loves less. If that can be considered an advantage.

* * *
(135) To love in public is bestiality.

* * *
(136) There is an opinion that a marriage on the verge of divorce is the most durable.

* * *
(137) Everyone loves Pushkin. And my love for Pushkin. And love for your love.

* * *
(138) Serving art requires the whole person, without a trace.

* * *
(139) What ruins a fool? Passion for beauty.

* * *
(140) Complete mediocrity is unprofitable. Talent is intimidating. Genius is terrifying. The most traded currency is moderate literary ability.

* * *
(141) All people with a vague and vague sense of life dream of studying philosophy.

* * *
(142) Drunkenness is voluntary madness.

* * *
(143) The most difficult test for a prosperous person is sudden trouble.

* * *
(144) In essence, a Jew is a surname, profession and appearance.

* * *
(145) No matter how angry a Russian person is, offer him a drink, and he will immediately become kinder ...

Sergei Dovlatov is one of the most widely read Russian-language writers of the late 20th century. But living at home, he could not reach the reader with his works: they saw the light only after his emigration to the United States and began to be published in Russia only in the second half of the 80s, when they gained immense popularity. In his stories, the absurd acts as the basis of order in human destiny. His heroes, ordinary, seemingly unremarkable people, turn out to be bright and unique, precisely because of their carelessness and stupidity.

Dovlatov does not teach anyone anything and does not judge anyone. He has no "positive" and "negative" characters, it all depends on the point of view. Because this is the main truth of life. Humorous and at the same time sad prose of Dovlatov became a classic and, like any classic, went to the people in the form of proverbs and sayings:

There is one painful moment in a conversation with a woman . You bring facts, arguments, arguments. You appeal to logic and common sense. And suddenly you discover that she is disgusted by the very sound of your voice.

Love, friendship, respect bind not so much as common hatred for something.

A decent person is one who does nasty things without pleasure.

Most people consider unsolvable those problems, the solution of which they are not satisfied with.

People around love not honest, but kind. Not brave, but smart. Not principled, but condescending. In other words, unscrupulous.

Man used to ask himself: who am I? There is a scientist, an American, a driver, a Jew, an immigrant ... But you should always ask yourself: am I shit?

Women are not attracted to money. Not cars or jewelry. Not restaurants and expensive clothes. Not power, wealth and elegance. And what made a man powerful, rich and elegant. A power that some are endowed with and others are completely deprived of.

All my life I have blown through a telescope and wondered that there was no music. And then he carefully looked into the trombone and was surprised that not a damn thing was visible.

We endlessly scold Comrade Stalin, and, of course, for the cause. And yet I want to ask - who wrote four million denunciations?

The only honest road is the path of mistakes, disappointments and hopes .

What else, but there is enough loneliness. Money, let's say, I quickly run out of, loneliness - never ...

It's crazy to live with a man who doesn't leave just because he's lazy...

I walked and thought - the world is engulfed in madness. Madness is becoming the norm. The norm evokes a sense of wonder.

Do you know what is most important in life? The main thing is that life is one. A minute passed and it was over. There won't be another...

The more hopeless the goal, the deeper the emotions .

Love is for youth. For military personnel and sportsmen... And here everything is much more complicated. It's not love, it's destiny.

The editor was a kind person. Of course, until that moment, until he became cruel and evil.

I only smoke when I'm drunk. And I drink constantly. Therefore, many mistakenly think that I smoke.

I got disgusted and left. Or rather, he stayed.

God does not ask for more .

I counted the money without taking my hand out of my pocket.

There is no greater tragedy for a man than a complete lack of character!

I prefer to be alone but next to someone...

I think love has no dimensions at all. There is only yes or no .

Man to man - anything ... Depending on the combination of circumstances.

It's okay to visit when you're invited. It is terrible to go to visit when you are not invited. However, the best thing is when they call, but you do not go.

Family - this is if you guess by the sound who exactly washes in the shower.

"Life is Beautiful and amazing!" - as Comrade Mayakovsky exclaimed on the eve of his suicide.

I will not change the linoleum. I changed my mind because the world is doomed .

I no longer divide people into positive and negative. And literary heroes - even more so. Besides, I'm not sure that in life a crime is inevitably followed by repentance, and a feat - bliss. We are what we feel.

In his stories, the absurd acts as the basis of order in human destiny. His heroes, ordinary, seemingly unremarkable people, turn out to be bright and unique, precisely because of their carelessness and stupidity.

There is one painful moment in a conversation with a woman . You bring facts, arguments, arguments. You appeal to logic and common sense. And suddenly you discover that she is disgusted by the very sound of your voice.
Love, friendship, respect bind not so much as common hatred for something.
A decent person is one who does nasty things without pleasure.
Most people consider unsolvable those problems, the solution of which they are not satisfied with.
People around love not honest, but kind. Not brave, but smart. Not principled, but condescending. In other words, unscrupulous.
Man used to ask himself: who am I? There is a scientist, an American, a driver, a Jew, an immigrant ... But you should always ask yourself: am I shit?
Women are not attracted to money. Not cars or jewelry. Not restaurants and expensive clothes. Not power, wealth and elegance. And what made a man powerful, rich and elegant. A power that some are endowed with and others are completely deprived of.
All my life I have blown through a telescope and wondered that there was no music. And then he carefully looked into the trombone and was surprised that not a damn thing was visible.
We endlessly scold Comrade Stalin, and, of course, for the cause. And yet I want to ask - who wrote four million denunciations?
The only honest road is the path of mistakes, disappointments and hopes .
What else, but there is enough loneliness. Money, let's say, I quickly run out of, loneliness - never ...
It's crazy to live with a man who doesn't leave just because he's lazy...
I walked and thought - the world is engulfed in madness. Madness is becoming the norm. The norm evokes a sense of wonder.
Do you know what is most important in life? The main thing is that life is one. A minute passed and it was over. There won't be another...
The more hopeless the goal, the deeper the emotions .
Love is for youth. For military personnel and sportsmen... And here everything is much more complicated. It's not love, it's destiny.
The editor was a kind person. Of course, until that moment, until he became cruel and evil.
I only smoke when I'm drunk. And I drink constantly. Therefore, many mistakenly think that I smoke.
I got disgusted and left. Or rather, he stayed.
God does not ask for more .
I counted the money without taking my hand out of my pocket.
There is no greater tragedy for a man than a complete lack of character!
I prefer to be alone but next to someone...
I no longer divide people into positive and negative. And literary heroes - even more so. Besides, I'm not sure that in life a crime is inevitably followed by repentance, and a feat - bliss. We are what we feel.
I think love has no dimensions at all. There is only yes or no .
Man to man - anything ... Depending on the combination of circumstances.
It's okay to visit when you're invited. It is terrible to go to visit when you are not invited. However, the best thing is when they call, but you do not go.
Family - this is if you guess by the sound who exactly washes in the shower.
"Life is Beautiful and amazing!" - as Comrade Mayakovsky exclaimed on the eve of his suicide.
I will not change the linoleum. I changed my mind because the world is doomed .

The lesson I learned and followed all my life was to try and try and try again - but never give up!

When a person is first given hope, albeit for a short time, and then taken away, the pain of loss intensifies a hundredfold. Better not to hope for anything at all than to soar into the sky, and then fall down like a stone.

For two years a person learns to speak, and then for the rest of his life he learns to be silent.

Weak people spend their whole lives trying to be no worse than others. Strong at all costs need to become the best.

You meet hundreds of people, and none of them touches, and then one person changes your whole life. Forever.

All my life I have been searching for the truth (the meaning of life). And the only thing I regret is the time spent to finally understand... The truth is that there is no truth. Live and enjoy life without questioning it.

And it's never too late
to start all over again, to start all the way,
And so that in the past - not a word,
Not a groan would be crossed out.

Give love to your significant other throughout your life, not just one day a year.

Whoever you meet on your life path - thank him for participating in your destiny. Whether it was an episode or a lifetime, no person comes into the life of another by chance.

To spend your whole life in fear, without realizing a single dream - that's what is cruel. Working hard for money and thinking that they will let you buy things that will make you happy is what is scary.