"I have a terrible temper, and I often say things I regret."

"I do not like Moscow life. You live here not as you want to live, but as old women want you to."

"I value not the boisterous applause, the ecstasy, the general acclaim. I love the silence of the thoughtful mind, and the brief, warm praise of a true friend."

"I am a great admirer of the Russian people, and I believe they are a great people."

"To “seek inspiration” has always seemed to me a ridiculous and absurd fancy: inspiration cannot be sought out; it must find the poet."