Mikhail Lermontov

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

1. Restless, it asks for the storm, as if in storms there were peace.

   Lermontov's lone white sail rejects calm water and goes looking for weather. Some people only feel settled when they are tested. If that is you, choose your storms well and sail into them on purpose.

   'The Sail' (1832), our translation from the Russian

2. I always go forward bolder when I don't know what awaits me.

   Pechorin says that doubting everything does not stop him from deciding; uncertainty actually sharpens him. Not knowing the outcome is the normal condition of any real move. Go anyway.

   A Hero of Our Time (1840), 'The Fatalist', our translation from the Russian

3. Nothing worse than death can happen, and death you won't escape.

   The worst case is already guaranteed, so most fears are smaller than they look. Seen that way, a risk is just a question of when, not whether. Let that thought loosen the grip of caution.

   A Hero of Our Time (1840), 'The Fatalist', our translation from the Russian

4. One thought ruled me. One, but a burning passion.

   The young novice in Lermontov's poem has one desire: to be free and go home. Focus like that is rare and powerful. Find the one thing you want most and let it burn the clutter away.

   Mtsyri (1839), st. 3, our translation from the Russian

5. What did I do when I was free? I lived.

   Mtsyri escaped for three days and calls them the only life he had. A short time fully lived outweighs years of waiting. Do not let safety stop you from having your three days.

   Mtsyri (1839), st. 8, our translation from the Russian

6. I'd trade two lives like this for one full of storms.

   A quiet, sheltered life twice over is worth less to Mtsyri than one full of risk. It is a young man's cry, but a fair question at any age. Would you trade some comfort for more life?

   Mtsyri (1839), st. 3, our translation from the Russian