In short, the man displayed a constant and insurmountable impulse to wrap himself in a covering, to make himself, so to speak, a case which would isolate him and protect him from external influences. Reality irritated him, frightened him, kept him in continual agitation, and, perhaps to justify his timidity, his aversion for the actual, he always praised the past and what had never existed; and even the classical languages which he taught were in reality for him goloshes and umbrellas in which he sheltered himself from real life. Anton Chekhov
About This Quote

The quote above is attributed to Walter Benjamin on November 23, 1940. He was writing about the artist Paul Gauguin on the occasion of his death. Gauguin had taken up residence in Tahiti for two years, during which time he painted many of his most famous works. Benjamin had not yet arrived in France at this time, so he did not have an opportunity to meet with Gauguin himself. However, he did have the opportunity to read all of his letters and journals during this period.

Source: The Complete Short Stories Of Anton Chekhov

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