Thread: Dostoyevsky quote please

Hello!
Im gonna make a tattoo with this quote from White Nights but I want in Russian ''But how could you live and have no story to tell?''
somebody?

I guess the original line was like this:

Originally Posted by Ф. Достоевский, "Белые ночи", Ночь вторая

Так как же вы жили, коль нет истории?

To be fair, in Russian, it doesn't sound as cool, as in English. But that's up to you to decide

Here's the full quote in Russian from the story:

- Историю! - закричал я, испугавшись, - историю!! Но кто вам сказал, что у меня есть моя история? у меня нет истории...
- Так как же вы жили, коль нет истории? - перебила она смеясь.
- Совершенно без всяких историй! так, жил, как у нас говорится, сам по себе, то есть один совершенно, - один, один вполне, - понимаете, что такое один?

"So how could you live, if there is no a story?" (That's a literal translation)
Actually, this phrase sounds weird separately from the complete text, because it's a part of the dialog.

Originally Posted by DrBaldhead

I guess the original line was like this:

To be fair, in Russian, it doesn't sound as cool, as in English. But that's up to you to decide

really? :OO
humm, so I wil change, I will listen to you lol
I really want some quote from White Nights because this book its very important to me

Originally Posted by anna__

really? :OO
humm, so I wil change, I will listen to you lol
I really want some quote from White Nights because this book its very important to me

okay, i have two questions :
this quote its from Tolstoy '' “If you want to be happy, be.'' ? Wich book?
and can someone translate for me this Anna Karenina quote ? '' Im not ashamed of who I am or what I've done'' ?
and then I will stop! lol

Originally Posted by anna__

okay, i have two questions :
this quote its from Tolstoy '' “If you want to be happy, be.'' ? Wich book?

It is a quote from Kozma Prutkov.
"

• Если хочешь быть счастливым, будь им.

"

"If you want to be a happy perfon, be the one."

Actually most of his aphorisms sounds in Russian very funny but normally noone can either explain why or translate adequately.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

It is a quote from Kozma Prutkov.
"

• Если хочешь быть счастливым, будь им.

"

"If you want to be a happy perfon, be the one."

Actually most of his aphorisms sounds in Russian very funny but normally noone can either explain why or translate adequately.

humm, I see
but this quote from Anna Karenina in russian, somebody can help me?'' Im not ashamed of who I am or what I've done'' ?

Originally Posted by anna__

but this quote from Anna Karenina in russian, somebody can help me?'' Im not ashamed of who I am or what I've done'' ?

I have made a full text search in the novel with different parts of that sentence in Russian ("not ashamed", "who I am", "what I've done") and did not find anything like that. There are some pieces about shame etc. but nothing like the complete phrase you provided.

Probably the translation you read was very free or it was a kind of shortened adaptation.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

I have made a full text search in the novel with different parts of that sentence in Russian ("not ashamed", "who I am", "what I've done") and did not find anything like that. There are some pieces about shame etc. but nothing like the complete phrase you provided.

Probably the translation you read was very free or it was a kind of shortened adaptation.

Oh, really?
Hum, i will have to think another quote

Originally Posted by anna__

Oh, really?
Hum, i will have to think another quote

Im a little confused because I want something from Tolstoy's book, Anna karenina but I can't find the perfect phase, any suggestions ?

Originally Posted by anna__

humm, I see
but this quote from Anna Karenina in russian, somebody can help me?'' Im not ashamed of who I am or what I've done'' ?

What chapter is it from?

It's at the end when her and vronsky talking about her not going to the theatre because people will say really bad thing about her and than she said it to him "I'm not ashamed ...

-- Да я не хочу знать! -- почти вскрикнула она. -- Не хочу. Раскаиваюсь я в том, что сделала? Нет, нет и нет. И если б опять то же, сначала, то было бы то же. Для нас, для меня и для вас, важно только одно: любим ли мы друг друга. А других нет соображений.

Google word-by-word translation:

- Yes, I do not want to know! - She almost cried. - I do not want. I regret what I did? No, no, no. And if again the same, first, it would be the same. For us, for me and for you, it is important to only one thing: whether we love each other. And there is no other considerations.

This one?

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Google word-by-word translation:

- Yes, I do not want to know! - She almost cried. - I do not want. I regret what I did? No, no, no. And if again the same, first, it would be the same. For us, for me and for you, it is important to only one thing: whether we love each other. And there is no other considerations.

This one?

Yeeees! They talk about the theater right? She wanna go but vronsky thinks that it's a bad idea

This quote it's also from Anna karenina , right? " she similed at him and at her own fears"

Originally Posted by anna__

This quote it's also from Anna karenina , right? " she similed at him and at her own fears"

Yep. This time it is quite close.

она ... улыбалась ему и своему страху

"she ... was smiling at him and at her own fear"