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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Sophie Ratcliffe

Making your mind up: the best descriptions of indecision in literature

Nothing to be done … Patrick Stewart (Vladimir) and Ian McKellen (Estragon) in Waiting for Godot.
Nothing to be done … Patrick Stewart (Vladimir) and Ian McKellen (Estragon) in Waiting for Godot. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/the Guardian

Much of life, according to the sage wisdom of Bucks Fizz, relies on making your mind up. But those of us stuck in a quandary may find a kind of kinship with some of the 19th century’s greatest ditherers. Ivan Goncharov’s Oblomov will resonate with many in need of a duvet day:

The moment he woke up, he made up his mind to get up right away … and really get to work on the problem. For fully half an hour he lay there, tormented by his decision, but then he began to reason that he would still have time for everything even after his cup of tea, and that he could just as well have his tea in bed … After tea, he actually raised himself into a sitting position.

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