“Life is difficult for those who…” — Anton Chekhov

Life is difficult for those who have the daring to first set out on an unknown road. The avant-garde always has a bad time of it.

— Anton Chekhov (1860–1904), Letter to A.S. Suvorin (May 14, 1889)

Courage and overcoming setbacks

What it means

Whoever goes first down an unknown road has the hardest time. Pioneers pay a price that later travellers do not.

Anton Chekhov — Russian dramatist and author (1860–1904).

Source: Letter to A.S. Suvorin (May 14, 1889)
Reference: Anton Chekhov on Wikiquote
Checked: Wording and source taken from the sourced section of the author’s Wikiquote page, which cites the work given here (accessed 2026-10-11).
Copyright: Public domain: the author died in 1904.

The explanation above is ToDoMatriX’s own reading of the quote, not the author’s words.

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