Did Ivan the Terrible really say 'The tears of a Tsar are the rain that waters the earth.'?

Ivan the Terrible Quote Source & Citation:

The tears of a Tsar are the rain that waters the earth.

— Ivan the Terrible Early Modern · First Tsar of Russia

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"A ruler must be a beast."

"Better to be feared than loved."

"If God is merciful, why am I not?"

"Better to rule over bones than over traitors."

"I am a slave, and not a king, to listen to the advice of others."

A poetic but chilling justification for his emotional outbursts and their impact.

Date: c. 1560s

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