No one has any ground for separating life from matter, as the spirit may well consist of the union of material atoms.
 Anton Chekhov, The Seagull (1896). copy citation

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Author Anton Chekhov
Source The Seagull
Topic union spirit
Date 1896
Language English
Reference The Seagull, Act I
Note Translated by Marian Fell
Weblink https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Seagull/Act_I

Context

“Thou art angry, O Jove! ARKADINA. I am a woman, not Jove. [She lights a cigarette] And I am not angry, I am only sorry to see a young man foolishly wasting his time. I did not mean to hurt him. MEDVIEDENKO. No one has any ground for separating life from matter, as the spirit may well consist of the union of material atoms. [Excitedly, to TRIGORIN] Some day you should write a play, and put on the stage the life of a schoolmaster. It is a hard, hard life. ARKADINA. I agree with you, but do not let us talk about plays or atoms now.” source