When the whole discussion of "developing a national idea" hastily began in post-Soviet Russia, I tried to pour cold water on it with the objection that, after all the devastating losses we had experienced, it would be quite sufficient to have just one task: the preservation of a dying people.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynWe do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynThe secret is that when you've been pitched head first into hell you just write about it
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynWe hear a constant clamor for rights, rights, always rights, but so very little about responsibility. And we have forgotten God. The need now is for selflessness, for a spirit of sacrifice, for a willingness to put aside personal gains for the salvation of the whole Western world.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn