Art thaws even the frozen, darkened soul, opening it to lofty spiritual experience.

I have always had that inner drive, since my birth. And I have always devoted myself gladly to work - to work and to the struggle.

And the over-all fact that you are a frail vessel full of errors.

Boris Yeltsin's period was characterized by a no less irresponsible attitude to people's lives, but in other ways. In his haste to have private rather than state ownership as quickly as possible, Yeltsin started a mass, multi-billion-dollar fire sale of the national patrimony. Wanting to gain the support of regional leaders, Yeltsin called directly for separatism and passed laws that encouraged and empowered the collapse of the Russian state. This deprived Russia of its historical role for which it had worked so hard, and lowered its standing in the international community.

A great writer is, so to speak, a secret government in his country

The one who pulls is the one they urge on.

We will die, but art will remain.