Death's an old joke, but each individual encounters it anew.

a person who gets angry at his own illness is sure to overcome it

Take what you can yourself, and don't let others get you into their hands; to belong to oneself, that is the whole thing in life.

Belonging to oneself--the whole essence of life lies in that.

I look up to heaven only when I want to sneeze.

In days of doubt, in days of dreary musings on my country's fate, you alone are my comfort and support, oh great, powerful, righteous, and free Russian language!

So long as one's just dreaming about what to do, one can soar like an eagle and move mountains, it seems, but as soon as one starts doing it one gets worn out and tired.