“Only 3 to 5 percent of people are aware of being a part of history; the overwhelming majority think things will always be the way they are.” PeopleThinkingWayPercentMajorityOverwhelming Author:Vladimir Voinovich
“A meeting is an occasion when people gather together, some to say what they do not think, and others not to say what they really do.” PeopleThinkingTogetherMeetingsOccasions Author:Vladimir Voinovich
“Generally, if you look at present-day trends, you can predict the future. Very few people do that, because I've been told that only 3 to 5 percent of people are aware of being a part of history; the overwhelming majority think things will always be the way they are now. When Stalin was alive, most people could not imagine that he would ever die. Same under Brezhnev.” PeopleThinkingImagineOverwhelmingImagine That Author:Vladimir Voinovich
“If Putin and those around him had been smart enough to go in a different direction... The country was ready. The conditions were extremely favorable - with oil prices as high as they were, it was possible to do anything. It was possible to solidify democracy. After the Yeltsin years people began to think that democracy is a disaster, that democracy equals misery. Putin got a lucky break - and he used it the KGB way. He turned out to be a wily KGB man, not a wise statesman.” PeopleThinkingMenDifferentCountryEnoughBreakDemocracyWiseLuckySmartMiseryDisaster Author:Vladimir Voinovich
“People sometimes ask: Is Putin a clever man? Yes, he's clever in his own way, when it comes to political intrigue, and he's got a good head for numbers. But as soon as he took office, the first thing he did was to institute a new anthem based on the old Soviet one; that was a very major step, not a petty issue. He began at once to appeal to people's basest instincts. It is true that people in Russia are used to obedience.” PeopleMenSometimesPoliticalOfficeInstinctCleverObedienceSovietAnthem Author:Vladimir Voinovich
“Most people consume information passively-whatever they're being fed. They're being fed Russian television, which tells them that in the 90s there was a terrible catastrophe, that before that life had been all right, and then when Putin came many people say, "I've never lived as well as I'm living under Putin." That's true-there has never been such a level of affluence. But now, it looks like people will have to tighten their belts, and some are already having doubts.” PeopleDoubtTerribleCatastrophe Author:Vladimir Voinovich
“Revival of the Stalin cult is very clearly being encouraged from above, and it's a way of encouraging the cult of Putin. The message is that people of this type are the only ones who can govern the country properly. Putin is today's Stalin.” PeopleCountryCultRevival Author:Vladimir Voinovich
“When the regime changed in Japan, the Japanese changed; Russians too can change, as long as the conditions for it are present once again. Today, we are on the verge of a very uncertain situation when either everything will end in catastrophe, or better people will come to power.” PeopleLongTodaySituationChangedCatastrophe Author:Vladimir Voinovich
