Mikhail Gorbachev

I am a communist, a convinced communist. For some, this may be a fantasy. But for me, it is my main goal.

If we do not move forward, we will be thrown onto the rubbish heap of history.

We are moving towards a new world, a world of communism. We will never turn from this path.

The market is not a communist invention. It is a human invention.

I have spent my whole life living in a country that was always preparing for war. I don't want my children and grandchildren to live like that.

Perestroika is not an improvisation. It is a carefully thought-out policy.

We are experiencing a decisive moment, a turning point in the history of our country, and perhaps in the history of the world.

Democracy is not merely a matter of procedures and institutions. It is a way of life, a way of thinking, a way of feeling.

The most important thing is to avoid war. Everything else is secondary.

I am not afraid of difficulties. I am afraid of stagnation.

We need more socialism, not less.

The Soviet Union is not an empire. It is a union of free peoples.

I am a man of peace, but I am also a man of principle.

The past is gone. We must look to the future.

We must not be afraid to criticize ourselves.

The biggest mistake was that I did not go to the people and explain everything.

I consider myself a lucky man. I have lived to see a new world.

The ideas of perestroika are not dead. They are alive.

I am convinced that we are on the right path.

We need a new way of thinking, a new vision of the world.