Indeed, being a beginner is very difficult right now. Book publishers are in a crisis, sales are dwindling, and publishing houses are losing money, doing their best to survive. It's a sign of the times, the emergence of new kinds of entertainment -- there's nothing we can do about it. I don't think books will perish for good. They could become less widespread, though, falling even further behind movies and computer games. But we shouldn't be afraid of this, because books will always remain the entertainment of choice for intelligent people, of whom there are still many in this world.

Ill-considered but well-intentioned actions do more good that actions that are well-considered but cruel.

Experience is primarily the ability to restrain our fleeting impulses.

That's the way it goes sometimes: in order to help your friends, first you have to help your enemy. Better get used to it.

Drinking beer in a children's playground is an old Soviet tradition.

Love was something different. Love was pure delight, a fountain of emotions, sensual delights, and enjoying spending time together.

This was how you wound up in the Inquisition. When you stopped being able to see any difference between Light Ones and Dark Ones. When for you, people weren't even a flock of sheep, but just a handful of spiders in a glass jar. When you stopped believing in the future, and all you wanted to do was preserve the status quo. For yourself. For those few individuals who were still dear to you.