Saltykov-Shchedrin quote

[Timothy D. Sergay]

I can't find the source, but FWIW here's the Russian: "Strogost' [variants:
Svirepost', Surovost'] rossiiskikh zakonov smiagchaetsia [var.:
kompensiruetsia] neobiazatel'nost'iu ikh ispolneniia"; I'd consider as a
translation "The harshness of Russian laws is tempered by the inconsistency
with which they are enforced." References on Yandex have "kak govarival"
about as often as they have "kak pisal" Saltykov-Shchedrin, leaving some
doubt as to whether it was originally a favorite remark or actually written
down. On the other hand, the same is true for all the references on the
Runet to Checkhov's dictum about the gun on the wall (kak govarival Chekov,
kak pisal Chekhov), and in that case the quote came from a letter.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Newcity" <mnewcity at DUKE.EDU>
To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2003 2:46 PM
Subject: [SEELANGS] Saltykov-Shchedrin quote


> I recently came across the following quotations attributed to
> Saltykov-Shchedrin: "The severity of Russian law is mitigated by the lack
> of compulsion to observe it." Can anyone identify the source of this
> quotation?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Michael Newcity
> Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
> Duke University
>
>
> ----------
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> E-mail: mnewcity at duke.edu
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