“I don’t care for success. The ideas sitting in my head are annoyed by, and envious of, that which I’ve already written.”

— Anton Chekhov

Letter to A.S. Suvorin (October 27, 1888)
Letters

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "I don’t care for success. The ideas sitting in my head are annoyed by, and envious of, that which I’ve already written." by Anton Chekhov?

Anton Chekhov 222

Russian dramatist, author and physician 1860–1904

Erika Jayne (1969) American singer, actress and television personality

Erika Jayne interview to Entertainment Tonight https://www.etonline.com/erika-jayne-is-balancing-housewives-drama-with-headlining-her-first-tour-and-its-a-lot-exclusive (2018)

“I don’t care about losing people who don’t wanna be in my life anymore. I’ve lost people who meant the world to me and I’m still doing just fine.”

Karl May (1842–1912) German writer

“Everybody loves and desires success, but they dislike and are envious of successful people.”

Gandolfo – (RJ Intindola)

1985

“I feel that if I only convince people that the other side is a reasonable position to take, even if they themselves don’t take it, then I’ve been a success.”

Aaron Swartz (1986–2013) computer programmer and internet-political activist

UTI interview (2004)
Context: I think that most people, when faced with overwhelming facts, will come around. (I know I certainly have.) But it is definitely difficult to overcome people’s entrenched beliefs, so I feel that if I only convince people that the other side is a reasonable position to take, even if they themselves don’t take it, then I’ve been a success.
It is sort of a quixotic task in that sense, but it’s also useful to me by helping clarify my ideas.
When you say something particularly controversial on the Web, you’ll get all sorts of people coming at you with arguments. Considering those arguments and seeing if they’re right or, if they’re wrong, why they’re wrong, has been very valuable in clarifying my beliefs (and similarly, I hope my challenges have helped other people clarify their beliefs).

“After careful research along these lines, I came to the annoying conclusion that Keynes had been 100 percent right in the 1930s. Previously, I had thought the opposite. But facts were facts and there was no denying my conclusion. It didn’t affect the argument in my book, which was only about the rise and fall of ideas. The fact that Keynesian ideas were correct as well as popular simply made my thesis stronger.”

Bruce Bartlett (1951) American historian

Bruce Bartlett, "Revenge of the Reality-Based Community" (2012).
2010s

“I don’t really care that much about if I want to be more successful or less successful in art, because I never think life and art should be separate. What’s life if you don’t have conversation and joy and anger?”

Ai Weiwei (1957) Chinese concept artist

2010-, Ai Weiwei: 'Every day I think, this will be the day I get taken in again...', 2011

“I took care of the depth of my relationship with God and He took care of the breadth of my success.”

T. B. Joshua (1963) Nigerian Christian leader

On the secret of his success - "TB Joshua - How To Celebrate My 50th Birthday" https://www.nigeriafilms.com/more/127-columnists/20001-tb-joshua-how-to-celebrate-my-50th-birthday Nigeria Films (June 10 2013)

“And I sit here without identity: faceless. My head aches.”

Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) American poet, novelist and short story writer

Source: The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of killing unwanted babies, it’s just that the idea of letting women make a decision doesn’t sit well with me.”

Zach Braff (1975) American actor, director, screenwriter, producer

“The idea of being strong for someone else having never entered their heads, I find myself in the position of having to console them. Since I'm the person going in to be slaughtered, this is somewhat annoying.”

Suzanne Collins book Catching Fire

Source: Catching Fire

“I don’t care for success. The ideas sitting in my head are annoyed by, and envious of, that which I’ve already written.”

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Anton Chekhov 222

Related quotes

Related topics