How we cite our quotes: Story Number.Paragraph
Quote #7
I sprang down from the wagon so quickly, I nearly broke apart. By the time I got to the pond it was too late. What did I want to ask you? Yes! Have you ever seen a drowned person? Never? When a person dies, most of the time he dies with his eyes shut. A drowned person's eyes are open. Do you know why? Forgive me for taking up so much of your time. I too am busy. I have to tend to my horse and deliver my goods. The world remains a world. And you must also think of earning money—and to forget what has been, because what the earth has covered up must, they say, be forgotten, and if you are a living human being, you cannot spit out your soul. (7.140-141)
You know why this is a super-significant paragraph? Because this is the hardest, most unbearable thing that happens to Tevye, and he completely avoids any Torah quotations when talking about it. The drowning suicide is just too raw, too close, and too emotionally fraught to be put at arm's length with some semi-appropriate midrash.
Quote #8
If you have some time to spare, listen to remarkable happenings, but listen carefully—as it says in the chapter, I pray thee, hear me. And when you have heard me out, you will say that a man is no more than an ass and that we have a powerful God who runs the world as He sees fit. (9.2)
As always, Tevye is on the same religious theme—the Job theme, a.k.a. man is not only way less powerful than God, but man also has almost no free will, since whatever happens, happens because God wanted it to. And also, you're going to hush up and like it.
Quote #9
God protect us, because if God so wills it, the wheel turns, and everything falls upside down. (9.8)
Now this is some Alanis-Morissette-style irony here. Let's parse out what this little snippet is saying. Okay, so, God is way unpredictable but still whatever He says goes. Most of the time what goes is that whoever is up comes crashing back down. But there's not really anyone to ask for protection from God... except God himself. Actually, it's less like Alanis Morrissette and more like, you know, the Mafia.