“The lie which exalts us…

“The lie which exalts us is dearer than a thousand sober truths.” Pushkin

This quote comes from Anton Chekhov’s short story, ‘Gooseberries’.  The narrator, Ivan Ivanich tells the reader that he finds that the gooseberries he tries at his brother’s dining table, at his newly acquired estate, taste sour.  Nonetheless, his brother’s dream to grow gooseberries has come true!  Ivan comments, “And he ate them greedily, repeating over and over again: ” ‘Simply delicious! You try them!’ “They were hard and sour, but, as Pushkin says:  “The lie which exalts us is dearer than a thousand sober truths.