Just as King Midas turned everything to gold, Stalin turned everything to mediocrity.
To taste the sea all one needs is one gulp.
The perception of the West as mostly a "knight of democracy" has been replaced with the disappointed belief that pragmatism, often cynical and selfish, lies at the core of Western policies. For many Russians it was a grave disillusion, a crushing of ideals.
...it's only on a black day that you begin to have friends.
The most intense patriotism always flourishes in the rear.
... but food eaten quickly isn't food.