Mikhail Gorbachev

My life’s work has been accomplished. I did all that I could.

America must be the teacher of democracy, not the advertiser of the consumer society. It is unrealistic for the rest of the world to reach the American living standard.

Surely, God on high has not refused to give us enough wisdom to find ways to bring us an improvement in relations between the two great nations on earth.

We could only solve our problems by cooperating with other countries. It would have been paradoxical not to cooperate. And therefore we needed to put an end to the Iron Curtain, to change the nature of international relations, to rid them of ideological confrontation, and particularly to end the arms race.

We are not abandoning our convictions, our philosophy or traditions, nor do we urge anyone to abandon theirs.

I couldn’t wait to get to the most powerful position, because I thought then I would be able to fix problems that only the leader can fix. But when I got there, I realized we needed revolutionary change.

If inflation continues to soar, you’re going to have to work like a dog just to live like one.

If governments would only understand that if people are left alone they’ll work out their own salvation.

Only time, education and plenty of good schooling will make anti-segregation work.

We get the leaders we vote for. We get the policies we vote for. And when we don’t vote, that’s when we wind up with government of, by and for other people.

When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.

It’s not going to be easy to proceed. There are going to be barriers, difficulties, hardships, failures- it’s inevitable. But unless the process that is taking place here and elsewhere in the country and around the world, unless that continues to grow and becomes a major force in the social and political world, the chances for a decent future are not very high.

Words are one thing – deeds something entirely different. Fine words are a mask to cover shady deeds. A sincere diplomat is like dry water or wooden iron.

Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs.

Fascism is nothing but capitalist reaction.

We have no guns – we have only stones, boxes of matches and petrol. Together, hand in hand, with our boxes of matches and our necklaces, we shall liberate this country.

Americans have a severe disease – worse than AIDS. It’s called the winner’s complex.

Power without principle is barren, but principle without power is futile. This is a party of government, and I will lead it as a party of government.

The documents of Japanese fascists are just overflowing with loving kindness…when they were carrying out huge massacres in China they were bringing an “earthly paradise” to China and protecting the people from the ‘bandits’ who were trying to undermine it and so on and so forth.

I would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace than to risk peace in pursuit of politics.

No matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.