“We do not have time to play at “oppositions” at “conferences.” We will keep our political opponents,whether open or disguised as “nonparty,” in prison.”

How can you make a revolution without executions?

A democracy is a state which recognizes the subjection of the minority to the majority, that is, an organization for the systematic use of violence by one class against the other, by one part of the population against another.

Only by abolishing private property in land and building cheap and hygienic dwellings can the housing problem be solved.

We must pursue the removal of church property by any means necessary in order to secure for ourselves a fund of several hundred million gold rubles.

Trust is good, but control is better.

We would be deceiving both ourselves and the people if we concealed from the masses the necessity of a desperate, bloody war of extermination, as the immediate task of the coming revolutionary action.

You must have your heart on fire and your brain on ice.

The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them in parliament.

Truth is the most precious thing. That’s why we should ration it.

Don’t be afraid to admit defeat. Learn from defeat. Do over again more thoroughly, more carefully, and more systematically what you have done badly.

Those who are opposed to armed uprising. Must be ruthlessly kicked out as enemies, traitors and cowards.

Everyone is free to write and say whatever he likes, without any restrictions.

Honesty in politics is the result of strength; hypocrisy is the result of weakness.

But I can’t listen to music too often. It affects your nerves, makes you want to say stupid, nice things, and stroke the heads of people who could create such beauty while living in this vile hell.

One cannot live in society and be free from society.

The goal of socialism is communism.

I’m playing great tennis. I’m enjoying the tour, having fun with the fans off the court. I’m loving it now.

The nicer the point, the more — the better I feel, the more excited I get. But I never play that my opponent looks stupid. I think that is wrong. I have too much respect for every opponent I play.

What I think I’ve been able to do well over the years is play with pain, play with problems, play in all sorts of conditions.

Women use lovers as they do cards; they play with them a while, and when they have got all they can by them, throw them away, call for new ones, and then perhaps lose by the new all they got by the old ones.

I love playing under pressure. In fact, if there’s no pressure, then I’m not in the perfect zone.

If I didn’t play tennis I probably would have to see a psychiatrist.

We are trapped by language to such a degree that every attempt to formulate insight is a play on words.

I wish I could play like Roger Federer.