Did Chekhov say: “If a person does not smoke and does not drink, you will involuntarily think: is he not a bastard?”

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This quote is attributed to the famous writer both on the Internet and beyond. We decided to check if Chekhov said something like that (or one of his heroes).

Many Internet users Discuss This phrase on sites questions and answers And Interested, from which one works Chekhov these words. Found quote in social networks, entertainment resourceson ""Picabu", V Blogs V "Live magazine", On sites And In books with collections of aphorisms, on specialized book Portals. In online stores you can find Postcards With a photo of Chekhov and this phrase. Similar Pictures Popular on the Internet. Sometimes found and slightly different versions this quotes: “If a person does not drink and does not smoke, you will involuntarily think: not scoundrel is he? " and “if a person does not drink, does not smoke and A shunes a young lady, then the question involuntarily arises: and not bastard is he? "

Despite the fact that the phrase attributed to Chekhov is very common on the Internet, in the national corps of the Russian language - the largest digital base of texts from the XI century to the present day - nothing of the kind could be found, and neither by accurate quote, not for individual phrases From it. There is no such statement and in complete collection writer's works.

The earliest Mention Quotes about non -native and non -smoking scum that we managed to find, sounded in the series “Slaughter Power” - in the first series of the third season, emerging in 2001. The following dialogue occurs between the heroes:

- “Drinking is a conscious exercise in madness” - Pythagoras.

-And Anton Palych Chekhov said differently: “If a person does not drink and does not smoke, you will involuntarily think: is he not a bastard?”

It is not known whether the scriptwriters came up with this phrase or they also heard it somewhere before as Chekhov’s aphorism. By the way, a quote attributed to this dialogue Pythagoras, most likely, attributed incorrectly. The fact is that the philosopher himself did not leave behind any written sources and does not even have a detailed retelling of his thoughts recorded by one of his contemporaries. Everything that we know about him was written after his death. Even if we assume that some of the statements belonging to him were transmitted from mouth to mouth, in the end were recorded and reached us without distortion, it would hardly be a quote about drunkenness. Although this one phrase really attributed Antique philosopher quite often, and not only in the Russian -speaking segment Internet.

Despite the fact that the series was supposedly Chekhov’s quote in the early 2000s, judging by results Search in Google, at some time to actively spread on the Internet, she began only in 2010-2011. 

Russian classics really have similar thoughts. So, for example, Woland in the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov "Master and Margarita"He said:" Something, your will, is unkind lurking in men who avoid wine, games, a society of lovely women, a table conversation. Such people are either seriously ill or secretly hate others. ” At Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin in "Letters about the province"There is also a similar quote:“ A person is inexplicable, a person who does not take part in provincial Folles Journées (from the fr. "crazy days"; the last day of Shrovetide, filled with various festivities and amusements. - Approx. "Checked"), must certainly be an unreliable and intruding person. " However, the first part of this phrase is often distort, replacing the “provincial folles Journées” with “drinking”. Perhaps someone simply paraphrased one of these quotes and mistakenly attributed it to another Russian classic. 

Chekhov Known your own aphorismsTherefore, to assume that he could write something like that is really easy. Nevertheless, there is not a single evidence that he had ever written or spoke about it-neither on his behalf, nor with the lips of one of the heroes of his works. 

Supplement 01/23/23: After the publication of analysis thanks to the hint of one of our readers, we found an even earlier case of using this quote in connection with the name of Chekhov. The phrase "If a person does not smoke and does not drink, it is necessary to check whether he is a bastard" pronounces (04:10) Hero of the Monoscopy "Funny cemetery"(Director - Kirill Chernozomov, performer - People's Artist of Russia Igor Volkov) based on Chekhov's works. The premiere of the performance took place in 1991. Probably, it was there that this phrase sounded for the first time, but it was not taken from any Chekhov text, but was invented by the creators of the performance.

Photo on the cover: Anton Chekhov 1901, Photo Taken in the Chekhov Museum in Badenweiler, Public Domain, Via Wikimedia Commons

Incorrect attribution of quote

What do our verdicts mean?

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3. Did Benjamin Franklin say: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”?