Бумага всё терпит

Used ironically to mean: one can write down anything (e.g., any nonsense, any lie) ~ Pens may blot, but they cannot blush. The fairer the paper, the fouler the blot. Youth and white paper take any impression ^ Paper won't blush. White paper takes any impression.

А по весне можно наводнение прописать: снесло, дескать, мост волею божиею. Бумага всё терпит. (П. Мельников. Медвежий угол)

And in the spring we can blame everything on the floods - by the will of God the bridge was washed away. Paper doesn't blush, you know.

* - Но как я вам скажу то, что я так хочу вам сказать? Бумага, говорят, не краснеет, уверяю вас, что это неправда и что краснеет она так же точно, как и я теперь вся. (Ф. Достоевский. Братья Карамазовы)

"But how am I to tell you what I want so much to say? Paper, they say, cannot blush, but I assure you that is untrue, and that it is blushing just as I am now."

* - Мало ли что написано в книгах, бумага и не такое выдерживала и ещё долго будет выдерживать. (Ю. Герман. Дорогой мой человек)

"Anything might be published, paper can bear anything, and will go on doing so for a long time to come."

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The Conventional Designations and Signs:

1. Brackets in combination with different letter types in the Russian title units. For instance, Бабушка (Бабка, Старуха) (ещё) надвое сказала (гадала), where the words Бабушка надвое сказала are the saying in its basic form. The words (Бабка, Старуха) given in brackets, are the variants of the basic component Бабушка; the word (гадала) is the variant of the basic component сказала; the word (ещё) is an optional component of the saying.
2. Description (in English) of a proverb's/saying's meaning is given in italics, e.g.: Бабушка (Бабка, Старуха) (ещё) надвое сказала (гадала) Nobody knows whether it is so or not, whether it will happen or not.
3. = is put before an English monoequivalent e.g.: Аппетит приходит во время еды = Appetite (or The appetite) comes with (or in, while) eating.
4. ~ is put before an English analogue, e.g.: Близок (Близко) локоть, да не укусишь ~ There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip; or before an English antonym, e.g.: Скоро сказка сказывается, да не скоро дело делается (Contrast: ~ No sooner said than done).
5. ^ is put before a descriptive translation, in which components of an English proverb/saying or an English set-phrase is used, e.g.: Воду (в ступе) толочь - вода (и) будет ^ Beating the air is just beating the air. (The translation is made by way of using the English set-phrase "to beat the air".)
6. :: is put before such a descriptive translation as does not convey the image of the Russian proverb/saying, e.g.: Чем дальше в лес, тем больше дров:: Complications begin to set in.
7. # is put before such a descriptive translation as conveys, partially or in full, the image of the Russian proverb/saying, e.g.: Чем дальше в лес, тем больше дров # The farther into the forest, the thicker the trees. The deeper into the wood you go, the more timber seems to grow.
8. * (the asterisk) is put before those illustrations of the Russian proverb/saying's use where it has undergone an occasional change and/or participates in a stylistic device, e.g.: * Во-первых, как вам известно, вопреки пословице, брань на вороту виснет… (Ю. Герман. Я отвечаю за всё)
Firstly, because mud has a way of sticking, as you probably know…
9. Ср. is a sign of reference informing the reader that the site also contain number of similar Russian proverb/sayings, e.g.: Бабушка надвое сказала Ср. Это еще вилами по воде писано.

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