Sublime

muzhik

All men are mad but the humorist, who cares for nothing and possesses everything.

Reverend starets, forgive that last bit about Diderot’s baptism, I made it up myself just now, even as I was telling it to you, it had never entered my head before. I made it up just to please you. I carry on like that, Pyotr Aleksandrovich, so that people’ll like me all the more. But then sometimes I don’t know myself why I do it.

And therefore, trusting greatly in the mercy of God, I live in hopes that I’ll be completely forgiven, sir.”

“Better that you enslave us, but feed us.”

Surely it’s impossible, I think, that the devils will forget to drag me down to their place with their hooks when I die.