Anna Karenina Quotes

Context

This quote is spoken by Nataly in the novel Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy (1877).

Arseny Lvov and his wife, Nataly have different parenting styles. Lvov struggles as hard as he can to raise and educate them, while Nataly prefers to let them be. If they had helicopters back then, Lvov would probably earn the nickname of helicopter dad.

Nataly thinks it doesn't do any good to go to extremes, and she's content with the way things are. In this line, she argues that trying to make things perfect can never leave a person content.

And we don't know about you, but raising kids doesn't seem like a realistic time to strive for perfection. That can get messy.

Where you've heard it

You've heard this when you've complained about Keira Knightley's version of Anna Karenina, and a friend defends the movie. This quote also works in a variety of situations, not limited to picking a subject to major in, selecting the place you want to stay during your island getaway, or even choosing fro-yo toppings. Seriously, just pile 'em all on there.

If you really love this quote, you can get it written in pretty cursive font on a necklace from the Literary Gifted Etsy store. You know, for the Nataly or Arseny in your life.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

While Nataly's parenting skills might be up for debate, her lack of pretentiousness is hard to argue.