Mikhail Gorbachev

The past is a good teacher, but a bad master.

I'm a realist. I see things as they are.

I'm not a revolutionary, but I'm a reformer.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

I'm not a fan of war. I'm a fan of peace.

I'm not a politician. I'm a statesman.

I believe in a better future for all.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

I'm a man of peace.

I'm not a pessimist. I'm an optimist.

I believe in dialogue.

I'm not a fan of extremism.

I believe in common sense.

I'm not a dogmatist.

I'm a man of principle.

I am a convinced communist. This is my main credo. I will never renounce it. I am a convinced Marxist-Leninist. I will never renounce it.

The market is a cruel master. But it is the only master who can teach us how to work efficiently.

History punishes those who come too late or too early. Those who don't know how to use the opportunities that history provides.

I don't believe in God. I'm an atheist. But I believe in reason, and I believe in justice.

We are still at the very beginning of the road. We have not yet changed our thinking. We are still prisoners of the old ways.