Popular Quotes
Many popular sayings have entered the Russian language from the film. The first is by far the best known.
- The East is a delicate matter (Восток — дело тонкое); refers to any complicated or difficult matter, not necessarily "eastern" in nature.
- Are there questions? No, there aren't! (Вопросы есть? Вопросов нет!); refers to the commanding tone of an officer that will not hear objections to his command.
- Customs gives the green light ("Таможня дает добро!"); refers to any type of approval, especially reluctant approval.
- His grenades are of a wrong caliber ("Да гранаты у него не той системы"); refers to or to comment upon any kind of excuse, particularly a pathetic one. The line wasn't scripted, but improvised by the actor.
- Gyulchatai, show your sweet face ("Гюльчатай, открой личико"); a popular Russian saying for boys to say to girls.
- My heart bleeds for my country ("За державу обидно"); useful as defensive argument in disputes of any kind relation to the homeland.
- I'm replying to your letter, dear Katerina Matveyevna… ("Обратно пишу вам, любезная Катерина Матвеевна…"); used as a prelude to a letter humorously emphasizing its unusually high volume of detail or frequency of mail exchange.
- Mahmud, set the fire ("Махмуд, поджигай!"); used when embarking cheerfully on some difficult potentially dangerous mission.
Read more about this topic: White Sun Of The Desert
Famous quotes containing the words popular and/or quotes:
“Books of natural history aim commonly to be hasty schedules, or inventories of God’s property, by some clerk. They do not in the least teach the divine view of nature, but the popular view, or rather the popular method of studying nature, and make haste to conduct the persevering pupil only into that dilemma where the professors always dwell.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Man is timid and apologetic; he is no longer upright; he dares not say “I think,” “I am,” but quotes some saint or sage.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)