Proverbs and sayings are the mainstay of Russian culture. Short expressions contain not only a capacious meaning, but also the philosophy of the people, their attitude to certain events, values, priorities. Perhaps there is not a single topic that would not have been touched upon in Russian sayings. For example, the Russian proverb about happiness and sorrow embodied a relevant topic of happiness for every person.
Do not be born beautiful, but be born happy
This saying has been relevant for many years, showing the values of a Russian person. Happiness, peace of mind and moral satisfaction are more important than a beautiful face and a good figure, especially since a person’s appearance quickly loses its luster, undergoing aging and disease.
The saying underlines that to have everything at once - to be beautiful and successful, is almost impossible. In addition, like many other Russian folk proverbs about happiness and sorrow, this proverb reveals the conviction of a Russian person that happiness, like misfortune, is determined by fate, is given from above. Of course, this is directly related to the mass religiosity of the people at the time of the formation of folklore.
There would be no happiness, but misfortune helped
Russian proverbs about happiness and sorrow cannot be forgotten without the well-known proverb about happiness arising from sorrow. It lurks the experience of many generations of the Russian people who knew that in a person’s life there would be approximately equal good and bad events, therefore a black stripe will be followed by a white one, and sadness may well turn into joy.
This topic has been repeatedly raised not only in Russian folk culture, it can be found among the tales of many peoples of the world and philosophical parables.
Every blacksmith of his happiness
At the same time, Russian proverbs about happiness and sorrow do not always incline a person towards blind obedience to fate. To become happy thanks to perseverance, work and effort, paradoxically, reflects the spirit of the Russian people as vividly as the need to rely on chance.
The Russian people have always been distinguished by rational industriousness. This can be easily seen from fairy tales, in which a hardworking, savvy character would bypass the lazy person on life turns, and according to other sayings:
- Where labor is, there is happiness.
- They do not seek happiness, but do it.
- Our happiness is in our hands.
- Happiness is not a bird: it will not fly by itself.
- Whoever fights for happiness, that is what it is all about.
True, in contrast to these proverbs, there are many opposed to them. And this, too, to some extent speaks of the nature of the Russian people, their inconsistency, psychological flexibility.
- Happiness is not a fish, you cannot catch a fishing rod.
- You cannot harness happiness to shafts.
- They do not seek good from good.
