I am like a mariner born and bred on board a buccaneer brig whose soul has become so inured to storm and strife that if cast ashore he would weary and languish no matter how alluring the shady groves and how bright the gentle sun.
Mikhail LermontovEvil spawns evil. The first experience of torture gives an understanding of the pleasure in tormenting others.
Mikhail LermontovMany a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfall, yet none hurtles and foams all the way to the sea.
Mikhail LermontovIn the first place, [his eyes] never laughed when he laughed. Have you ever noticed this peculiarity some people have? It is either the sign of an evil nature or of a profound and lasting sorrow.
Mikhail LermontovI was lying, but I wanted to rouse him. I have an inborn urge to contradict; my whole life has been a mere chain of sad and futile opposition to the dictates of either heart or reason. The presence of an enthusiast makes me as cold as a midwinter's day, and, I believe, frequent association with a listless phlegmatic would make me an impassioned dreamer.
Mikhail Lermontov