Quote by: Isaac Babel

Even at the time—twenty years old—I said to myself: better to go hungry, to go to prison, to be a tramp, than to sit at an office desk ten hours a day. There is no particular daring in this vow, but I have not broken it and shall not do so. The wisdom of my grandfathers sat in my head: we are born for the pleasure of work, fighting, love, we are born for that and nothing else. (Guy de Maupassant)


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Author Bio


  • NameIsaac Babel
  • DescriptionRussian language journalist, playwright, literary translator, and short story writer
  • AliasesIsaac Babel; Isaak Emmanuilovich Babel
  • BornJuly 13, 1894
  • DiedJanuary 27, 1940
  • CountryRussia; Soviet Union
  • ProfessionWriter; Journalist; Screenwriter; Playwright