My Review
Interesting read—especially in light of current events as a U.S. citizen. An interesting look at things from a vantage point we’re not often given over here. Of course, we know how it ends, but the journey getting there was compelling.
My Notes
Page 138
“In the twenty-first century you are confronted not just by the machinery of a repressive state but by the PR machinery of that state. Public opinion is what matters to all the players. The same action performed in subtly different ways can either leave people unmoved or enrage them and bring them out onto the streets to demonstrate.”
Page 185
“The gist of my political strategy is that I am not afraid of people and am open to dialogue with everyone. I can talk to the right, and they will listen to me. I can talk to the left, and they too will listen. I can also talk to democrats, because I am one myself. A serious political leader cannot simply decide to turn his back on a huge number of his fellow citizens because he personally dislikes their views.”
Page 190
“Every political talk show was subject to a blacklist of people who could not be invited, and the programs degenerated into performances, and fairly mediocre ones at that.”
Page 209
“Everyone thinks it costs a fortune to engage a highly qualified expert, but through my blog I discovered that people are glad to volunteer their services if they themselves are part of the process, know what is happening, and what benefit there will be if they donate their help.”
Page 239
“And at some point we’ll realize that nothing we did had any meaning at all, so why did we just stare at the table and say nothing? The only moments in our lives that count for anything are those when we do the right thing, when we don’t have to look down at the table but can raise our heads and look each other in the eye. Nothing else matters.”
Page 274
“The biggest mistake people in the West make about Russia is that they equate the Russian state with the Russian people. In reality, the two have nothing in common, and the greatest misfortune in our country is that out of all the millions who live here, time and again power ends up in the hands of the most cynical and the biggest liars.”
Page 470
“If your convictions mean something, you must be prepared to stand up for them and make sacrifices if necessary. And if you’re not prepared to do that, you have no convictions. You just think you do. But those are not convictions and principles; they’re only thoughts in your head.”