Alexander Pushkin's thoughts about work

When Pushkin first grew terribly ill and the doctors told him to stop teaching in order to preserve his health, he replied with his usual shrug: "Better to die in the classroom than to live in bed." He could not imagine himself without his beloved work. And so things continued in the orderly way of so many years: the soloists' class at the theater, the class at the school, rehearsals with students. He could be seen every day slowly walking along Architect Rossi Street with a radiantly joyful look of anticipation on his face. Pushkin was on his way to his students.

* * * *

He died of a heart attack on the street, on the way home from the ballet school.

Alexander Pushkin: Master Teacher of Dance by Gennady Albert. 2001. Page 96, 107.