Anton Chekhov, The banker in The Bet, Works, vol. 7, p. 229, “Nauka” <1254>
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Capital punishment kills immediately, whereas lifetime imprisonment does so slowly. Which executioner is more humane? The one who kills you in a few minutes, or the one who wrests your life from you in the course of many years?
— Anton Chekhov on Capital punishment
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Capital punishment kills immediately, whereas lifetime imprisonment does so slowly. Which executioner is more humane? The one who kills you in a few minutes, or the one who wrests your life from you in the course of many years?" in the context of "Anton Chekhov, The banker in The Bet, Works, vol. 7, p. 229, “Nauka” <1254>" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Capital punishment" (C)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Анто́н Па́влович Че́хов) (29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) (Old Style: 17 January 1860 – 2 July 1904) was a Russian short story writer and playwright.
About Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Анто́н Па́влович Че́хов) (29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) (Old Style: 17 January 1860 – 2 July 1904) was a Russian short story writer and playwright.
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