The time has come to choose a new direction of global development, to opt for a new civilization.

The threat of a world war is no more.

You cannot go to sleep with one form of economic system and wake up the next morning with another.

On the day I became Soviet leader, in March 1985, I had a special meeting with the leaders of the Warsaw Pact countries and told them: 'You are independent, and we are independent. You are responsible for your policies, we are responsible for ours. We will not intervene in your affairs, I promise you.'

A society should never become like a pond with stagnant water, without movement. That's the most important thing.

People, human beings with all their creative diversity, are the makers of history.

It will be difficult, even painful, but democracy will prevail in Russia. There will be no dictatorship, although relapses into authoritarianism are possible.