And keep as few things as possible, so that you don't have to fear for them. Give them up without a struggle-because otherwise the humiliation will poison your heart. They will take them away from you in a fight, and trying to hold onto your property will only leave you with a bloodied mouth ... But by owning things and trembling about their fate aren't you forfeiting the rare opportunity of observing and understanding?
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynReligion itself cannot but be dynamic which is why "return" is an incorrect term. A return to the forms of religion which perhaps existed a couple of centuries ago is absolutely impossible. On the contrary, in order to combat modern materialistic mores, as religion must, to fight nihilism and egotism, religion must also develop, must be flexible in its forms, and it must have a correlation with the cultural forms of the epoch.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynIn military science there is a principle more important than "Forward": it is that the task should be proportionate to the means.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynI have grown used to the fact that public repentance is the most unacceptable option for the modern politician.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynIt is in the nature of the human being to seek a justification for his actions.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynFreedom! To fill people's mailboxes, eyes, ears and brains with commercial rubbish against their will, television programs that are impossible to watch with a sense of coherence. Freedom! To force information on people, taking no account of their right not to accept it or their right of peace of mind. Freedom! To spit in the eyes and souls of passersby with advertisements.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn