Protest actions and propaganda are two slightly different things.

The state security bodies should not be seen as an institution that works against society and the state; one needs to understand what makes them work against their own people.

For Russia, there is not and there may not be another political option but democracy. However, Russian democracy is... not at all the realization of standards imposed on us from outside.

How can a bureaucrat or a politician be trusted if he says loud words for the sake of Russia's good while trying to take his funds, his money abroad?

I believe the U.S. already understands and will understand more and more that only a strong Russia will respond to the genuine interests of the United States.

Political activities in Russia should be as transparent as possible. Financing political activities from abroad is something the state should keep an eye on.

The path towards a free society has not been simple. There are tragic and glorious pages in our history.

The democratic choice Russian people made in the early 90's is final.

What is a uni-polar world? No matter how we beautify this term, it means one single centre of power, one single centre of force and one single master.

Russia does not want confrontation of any kind. And we will not take part in any kind of 'holy alliance.'

I am convinced that the norm in Russia should become a family with three children.

At a certain point, we saw the police cracking down on the Occupy Wall Street activists. I won't call the actions of police appropriate or inappropriate.

Despite all the achievements of civilisation, the human being is still one of the most vulnerable creatures on earth.

Economic activity is moving from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific ocean... Russia has a certain natural advantage because it also borders the Pacific Ocean.

I would prefer to abandon the terminology of the past. 'Superpower' is something which we used during the cold war time. Why use it now?

We don't need a weakened government but a strong government that would take responsibility for the rights of the individual and care for the society as a whole.

Between major countries, there certainly always are some common ground and points of tension.

Russia is opposed to the proliferation of mass destruction weapons, including nuclear weapons, and in this context we call upon our Iranian friends to abandon the uranium enrichment programme.

Cromwell is just as much of a bloody dictator as was Stalin.

What is a Rechtsstaat? It is obedience to the existing law.

Few people understand the magnitude of the catastrophe that happened late in the 1980s when the Communist Party had failed to modernize the Soviet Union.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in Russia, unlike in one third of the world's countries, being gay is not a crime.

You need to put drones under control; you need to lay out certain rules of engagement in order to prevent or minimize collateral casualties. It is extremely important.

I was brought up in a very ordinary family, in fact, a worker's family. Both my father and mother were ordinary citizens.

No references to the need to fight terror can be an argument for restricting human rights.

Our society, including the liberals, must understand that there must be order.

The Russian people and Russian culture are the linchpin, the glue that binds together this unique civilization.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the issues of foreign policy and defense are fully in the hands of the president.

At last, Russia has returned to the world arena as a strong state - a country that others heed and that can stand up for itself.

I am not prejudiced in any way.

One can truly enjoy his or her life only while experiencing it, and it is inevitably related to a certain level of risk.

The whole world recognizes Russia's cultural achievements. It is impossible to imagine the world culture without Russian culture, without our music and literature.

The Eurasian union is a project meant to preserve the identities of nations and the historic Eurasian community in the new century, in a new world.

It is necessary to suppress any extremist actions, on all sides, regardless of their origin.

Russia needs a strong state power and must have it. But I am not calling for totalitarianism.

The United States has overstepped its borders in all spheres - economic, political and humanitarian - and has imposed itself on other states.

At least in Russia, you cannot just go and tap into someone's phone conversation without a warrant issued by court. That's more or less the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism.

China is a great country with a great culture, populated by fascinating, industrious and talented people.

Our military might is the guarantor of Russia's security and independence.

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.

A figure who receives money from abroad for his political work, and thus serves some foreign interest, cannot be a politician in Russia.

It is wrong to make anyone into an enemy; it is wrong to scare the people of one's own country with that enemy and try to rally some allies on that basis.

Russia is a part of European culture. Therefore, it is with difficulty that I imagine NATO as an enemy.

Our aims are absolutely clear: They are a high living standard in the country and a secure, free and comfortable life.

I'm eternally grateful to fate and the citizens of Russia that they've trusted me to be the head of the Russian government.

We live for books.

Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn't ask ourselves what it says but what it means...

To survive, you must tell stories.

I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren't trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.

I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth.