Gorbachev's administration was amazingly politically naïve, inexperienced and irresponsible towards the country. It was not governance but a thoughtless renunciation of power. The admiration of the West in return only strengthened his conviction that his approach was right. But let us be clear that it was Mikhail Gorbachev, and not Boris Yeltsin, as is now widely being claimed, who first gave freedom of speech and movement to the citizens of Russia.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynEven the most rational approach to ethics is defenseless if there isn't the will to do what is right.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynThe clock of communism has stopped striking. But its concrete building has not yet come crashing down. For that reason, instead of freeing ourselves, we must try to save ourselves from being crushed by its rubble.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynThe simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. "One word of truth outweighs the world.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynThe one good thing about repeating your mistakes is that you know when to cringe
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynThe strength or weakness of a society depends more on the level of its spiritual life than on its level of industrialization. Neither a market economy nor even general abundance constitutes the crowning achievement of human life. If a nation's spiritual energies have been exhausted, it will not be saved from collapse by the most perfect government structure or by any industrial development. A tree with a rotten core cannot stand.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn