The simple act of an ordinary courageous man is not to take part, not to support lies! Let that come into the world and even reign over it, but not through me. Writers and artists can do more: they can vanquish lies! ... Lies can stand up against much in the world, but not against art.

Only the first swath cut by the scythe is difficult.

Not death itself, but only the moral preparation for it, holds terrors.

... but it is human to be outraged by injustice, even to the point of courting destruction!

The earlier, the more fun. Why put it off? It’s the atomic age!

A drop in the ocean has no fear of a hurricane.

A great number of publications and movies on the history of the 20th century - albeit of uneven quality - are evidence of a growing demand. Quite recently, the state-owned TV channel 'Russia' aired a series based on Varlam Shalamov's works, showing the terrible, cruel truth about Stalin's camps. It was not watered down.