Quotation
Last reviewed:
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Leo Tolstoy · Moral and political thought · Modern · 1878
What does it mean?
Happiness looks the same from the outside; trouble has a particular shape. The novel then spends eight parts on one family's particular shape. A rival reading says the line is false as sociology, since happy families differ too and unhappy ones repeat old patterns. It is the first sentence of a story, not a survey result.
Did Leo Tolstoy really say this?
The library’s label is Paraphrase or translation. The opening sentence of the novel, checked against the Project Gutenberg text of Garnett's translation. Other translators vary the wording slightly. The sentence is his; the English belongs to the translator.
Where it comes from
Anna Karenina, Part 1, chapter 1 (tr. Constance Garnett)
Approximate date: 1878.
How to use it
Before judging a neighbour's marriage in a sentence, notice how much detail you would need to tell your own story fairly. The line is a reason to ask, not a reason to label.
A mindset reading
A neat generalisation is a hypothesis. Check whether you believe it because it is true or because it is well made.
Understand the philosophy
Anna Karenina, 1878 in book form, Part 1, chapter 1. Garnett's English. It is an opening line, so treat it as a premise the novel tests, not his settled view of all families.
- self
- society
- meaning
FAQ
What does it mean?
Happiness looks the same from the outside; trouble has a particular shape. The novel then spends eight parts on one family's particular shape. A rival reading says the line is false as sociology, since happy families differ too and unhappy ones repeat old patterns. It is the first sentence of a story, not a survey result.
Did Leo Tolstoy really say this?
Paraphrase or translation. The opening sentence of the novel, checked against the Project Gutenberg text of Garnett's translation. Other translators vary the wording slightly. The sentence is his; the English belongs to the translator.
Which work is it in?
Anna Karenina, Part 1, chapter 1 (tr. Constance Garnett) Approximate date: 1878.