It's not easy to find quotes by A.H.Tammsaare written in English. Although he was a very intelligent man who could speak six languages - French, German, Finnish, Estonian, English and Russian - he only wrote his works in Estonian. For those of us who can't speak Estonian but want to explore the works of Tammsaare, here are fifteen of Tammsaare's most famous quotes taken from his novels including Truth & Justice and I Loved a German.
1. "Maybe we should never read in the morning, what is written from the heart at night; morning and midnight, they either misunderstand or do not understand each other at all."
(Võib-olla ei peaks kunagi hommikul seda lugema, mis südaöösel kirjutatud hommik ja südaöö ei mõista teineteist või nad mõistavad võõriti.)
2. "If a man is married to the right woman, he will not fail to meet important deadlines."
(Kui mehel on õige naine, siis teeb ta kõik õigel ajal.)
3. "While I am writing these lines, I believe quite strongly that I loved you before we met; only that I did not know that it was you, whom I love."
(Ma usun neid ridu kirjutades üsna kindlasti, et ma armastasin Teid juba enne meie tutvumist, ainult et ma veel ei teednud, et just Teie see olete, keda ma armatan.)
4. "A student must be sober because it is more difficult to learn than to teach."
(Õpilane peab kaine olema, sest õppida on raskem, kui õpetada.)
5. "Young people's words can never be taken seriously, because they are bad at reading people, especially when the matter is they themselves."
(Noorte inimeste sõnu ei või kunagi tõsiselt võtta, sest nemad on halvad inimesetundjad, eriti kui küsimuses on nad ise.)
6. "Riches are closer to the truth than poverty."
(Varandus seisab tõele lähedamal kui vaesus.)
7. "Land and nation, as a wife, must be won every day, lest they slip into another's hands."
(Maad ja rahvast, nagu naistki, peab iga päev uuesti võitma, kui ei taha, et nad libisevad mõne teise kätte.)
8. "Free are those, whose mouths are already full with the soil. Free are angels in heaven."
(Vabad on need, kel suud juba mulda täis. Vabad on inglid taevas.)
9. "There is no better medicine than hard work, if you want to sleep well."
(Raske töö on parim ravim, et magada hästi.)
10. "Nothing is impossible as soon as a person starts thinking seriously about it."
(Miski pole võimatu, niipea kui inimene hakab sellest kord tõsiselt mõtlema.)
11. "Everything I have learned can be reduced to this: I want to be what I am not."
(Kõike, mida olen õppinud, tunnen ainult sel määral, et tahta olla see, mis ma ei ole.)
12. "Suffer with joy, youngster, love would not come if there were no pain."
(Kannata aga rõõmuga, noorik, ega armastus muidu tule, kui valu ei ole.)
13. "The right mistress's voice is sweeter than another man's rye."
(Õige perenaise hääl on magusam kui teise mehe rukis.)
14. "The greatest happiness is love."
(Suurim õnn on armastus.)
15. "A poor man can see days of toil all around him."
(Päevi saab vaene inimene igal pool näha.)
