And I despise your books, I despise wisdom and the blessings of this world. It is all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a mirage. You may be proud, wise, and fine, but death will wipe you off the face of the earth as though you were no more than mice burrowing under the floor, and your posterity, your history, your immortal geniuses will burn or freeze together with the earthly globe.

The Collected Works of Anton Chekhov: Novellas, Short Stories, Plays, Letters & Diary (ed. e-artnow, 2015) - ISBN: 9788026838364