We learned something cool!

We learned something cool! In 1842, the brilliant Nikolai Gogol gifted the world a fascinating tale called “Dead Souls.” It sweeps us into Pavel Chichikov’s adventures and the unique folks he encounters. But, no spoilers here!

Now, for an interesting fact: Despite being a monumental work in Russian literature, “Dead Souls” is actually unfinished! Yep, Gogol burned the second part of the story. Tragically, he passed away nine days later. Some speculate that his quest for perfection and battles with anxiety might have been the culprits. Can you imagine being as incredible as Gogol and still second-guessing your work? Crazy, right?

This story gets us thinking about “all-or-nothing thinking.” It’s when you see things as either totally perfect or completely wrong, with no in-between. So, we can’t help but wonder if maybe Gogol’s choice to burn his work was because he saw it as either perfect or a failure, and nothing in between. But remember, we’re just pondering here! We really don’t know if this was the case for Gogol—it’s just interesting to think about how our mindsets can really shape our choices and actions. What are your thoughts? Do you think the idea of something being perfect or a total failure might have clouded Gogol’s judgment?

Also, we’ve created a wallpaper for you.