It is in the nature of the human being to seek a justification for his actions.

Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words.

I have always insisted on the need for local self-government for Russia, but I never opposed this model to Western democracy. On the contrary, I have tried to convince my fellow citizens by citing the examples of highly effective local self-government systems in Switzerland and New England, both of which I saw first-hand.

It would have been difficult to design a path out of communism worse than the one that has been followed.

If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?

The one good thing about repeating your mistakes is that you know when to cringe

I think the gap between the rich and the poor is a dangerous phenomenon in Russia and it needs the attention of the state. The only reasonable way to correct the situation today is not to go after big businesses, but to give breathing room to medium and small businesses. That means protecting citizens and small entrepreneurs from arbitrary rule and from corruption. It means investing the revenues from the national natural resources into the national infrastructure, education and health care. And we must learn to do so without shameful theft and embezzlement.