“Man gets used to everything, even to the gallows.”Anton Cehov · Scrisori · 1900 · Către A.S. Suvorin, 1890
Human adaptability can become a trap, making one tolerate even intolerable conditions.
Chekhov observes a paradoxical trait: humans can get used to anything, including the threat of imminent death – symbolized by the gallows. Adaptation is survival, but also a trap: it can make you tolerate injustice. For example, prisoners in camps come to believe that life is normal.
Why it matters You use this quote when you want to understand why people stay in toxic relationships or bad jobs – not from cowardice, but from habit.