(?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)
Leo Tolstoy

“He felt that if they had both not kept up appearances, but had spoken, as it is called, from the heart—that is to say, had said only just what they were thinking and feeling—they would simply have looked into each other's faces, and Konstantin could only have said, "You're dying, you're dying!" and Nikolay could only have answered, "I know I'm dying, but I'm afraid, I'm afraid, I'm afraid!" And they could have said nothing more, if they had said only what was in their hearts. But life like that was impossible, and so Konstantin tried to do what he had been trying to do all his life, and never could learn to do, though, as far as he could observe, many people knew so well how to do it, and without it there was no living at all. He tried to say what he was not thinking, but he felt continually that it had a ring of falsehood, that his brother detected him in it, and was exasperated at it.”

Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Read more quotes from Leo Tolstoy


Share this quote:
Share on Twitter

Friends Who Liked This Quote

To see what your friends thought of this quote, please sign up!

1 like
All Members Who Liked This Quote



This Quote Is From

Anna Karenina Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
916,082 ratings, average rating, 41,460 reviews

Browse By Tag