Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within the same heart, it is sometimes squeezed by triumphant evil into a narrowest compass, and sometimes it expands to encompass the whole. And even within the same heart, it is sometimes squeezed by triumphant evil into a narrowest compass, and sometimes it expands to encompass the whole.

We have to condemn publicly the very idea that some people have the right to repress others. In keeping with the laws of nature, a new continent of truth has been opened up for us, namely, that violence can only be concealed by the lie, and the lie can only be maintained by violence. Any man who has once proclaimed violence as his method is inevitably compelled to choose the lie as his principle.

The first step in the direction of a better life is to acknowledge the ugly truth. The second step is to overcome the fear of speaking out.

If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.

A man who is not afraid to die is not afraid to live.

The world is not split into countries and classes, but into good and evil.

Hastiness and superficiality are the psychic diseases of the 20th century, and more than anywhere else this is manifest in the press.

Unlimited power in the hands of limited people always leads to cruelty.

Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity. Those who clearly recognize the voice of their own conscience usually recognize also the voice of justice.

You can resolve to live your life with integrity. Let your credo be: There is no good in anything until it is finished.

The more we learn about the human brain, the more we realize its limitations.

A great writer is, so to speak, a second government in his country. And for that reason no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.

The state is not a goal in itself, but a means to an end.

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.

To stand up for truth is nothing. To stand up for truth when it is unpopular is everything.

The West has chosen the path of least resistance.

Terror is the first law of dictatorships.

The soul of man is a battlefield.

The most important thing is not to live, but to live well.