Soviet-Era Sayings Still Heard in Latvian Families, from “What Will People Say?” to “You’ll Stop Wanting It”
On 22 October, the Latvian newspaper Latvijas Avīze ran a lifestyle piece on sayings from the Soviet era that can still be heard today. It says they sounded like life lessons but often reflected a habit of enduring, staying silent and adapting.
Latvijas Avīze, a Latvian newspaper, published a piece in its Kokteilis (Cocktail) lifestyle section on 22 October 2026 about phrases traditionally used in Latvia as life advice. The article says they can still be heard from parents, grandparents or acquaintances. Its examples are “A ko cilvēki teiks?” (“What will people say?”) and “Gribas – pārgribēsies” (roughly, “You want it now, but you will stop wanting it”).
How the phrases are explained
The author stresses that these sayings sounded like ordinary life lessons. According to the piece, though, they were often used because people were not taught to stand up for themselves. They were used to enduring, staying silent and adapting. The article acknowledges that not every such saying originated in the Soviet period, but says they fitted that time well.
“What will people say?”
The first phrase examined is “What will people say?”. In the article’s view, it taught people to judge their decisions through other people’s eyes. This could apply to how to dress, which profession to choose, whom to marry and whether to divorce. In such matters the decision could depend not on the person’s own wish but on what the neighbours would say.
As a result, the article says, a habit formed of seeking outside approval and fearing being different from others.
The piece is filed under the Soviet-era theme, and the source excerpt does not include its further content.
