The Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov once said: In a Democracy, portraits of a nation's leader should never exceed the size of a postage stamp. That won't happen so quickly in Russia.

Nothing has changed in Russia since Ivan the Terrible when it comes to the divide between the people and the state. The state demands a sacred willingness to make sacrifices from the people.

The West should be even more vocal in insisting that the Russians respect human rights.

The Khodorkovsky case is typical of the "oprichnina" - the system of oppression.

I'm not a prophet or a teacher, I just ask questions. I don't think a writer should be a teacher, but should know how to pose the questions and explain the problems.

I have Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin to thank that a Russian writer can not only write anything he wants, but also publish it.

As a child I perceived violence as a sort of natural law. In the totalitarian Soviet Union, oppression held everything together. It was the sinister energy of our country.

The worst thing that can happen to Russia is indifference in the West - that is, if it were interested in nothing but oil and gas.

In Russia one can be as pure as can be and still lose everything in a flash and end up in prison.

Everyone in Russia must awaken the citizen within himself.

In Russia only those who are loyal to the people in power can become wealthy.

Worthy character is best forged from a life of consistent, correct choices centered in the teachings of the Master.

The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.

Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.

Photobomb me at your own risk!

I would be a billionaire if I was looking to be a selfish boss. That's not me.

I thought I heard the dark pounding its head On a rock, crying: Who are the dead?

When the winter comes, be very happy; because the spring comes only if the winter comes!

"The way of Cain" refers to any individual who attempts to approach God on his or her own terms rather than on God's terms.

I want to write songs and play them for people - live.

Success, like happiness, is the unexpected side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.