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.

good literature substitutes for an experience which we have not oursleves lived through.

In our country, the lie has become not just a moral category but a pillar of the State

For a country to have a great writer is like having another government. That's why no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.

Literature transmits incontrovertible condensed experience . . . from generation to generation. In this way literature becomes the living memory of a nation.

It is not the level of prosperity that makes for happiness but the kinship of heart to heart and the way we look at the world. Both attitudes are within our power . . . a man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy, and no one can stop him.

Hastiness and superficiality are the psychic diseases of the twentieth century, and more than anywhere else this disease is reflected in the press.

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?

One should never direct people towards happiness, because happiness too is an idol of the market-place. One should direct them towards mutual affection. A beast gnawing at its prey can be happy too, but only human beings can feel affection for each other, and this is the highest achievement they can aspire to.

He told Alyosha to work with the captain. Alyosha was a quiet man; anyone could order him about. "It's all hands on deck, sailor," the captain urged. "See how fast they're laying blocks?" Alyosha smiled meekly. "If we have to work faster then let's work faster. Anything you say." And tramped down for the next load. Thank God for the man who does his job and keeps his mouth shut!