I have seen three emperors in their nakedness, and the sight was not inspiring.

The luxury of one's own opinion.

Nothing should be left to an invaded people except their eyes for weeping.

Life has taught me to forgive much, but to seek forgiveness still more.

The government should cultivate the view also among the propertyless classes of the population, those who are the most numerous and the least educated, that the state is not only an institution of necessity but also of welfare. By recognizable and direct advantages they must be led to look upon the state not as an agency devised solely for the protection of the better-situated classes of society but also as one serving their needs and interests.

Even the most favorable outcome of the war will never lead to the decomposition of the main forces of Russia, which is based on millions of Russian ... The latter, even if they break up international treaties, just as quickly re-connect with each other, like pieces of a particle of mercury.

Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.