“... I never looked for or found national differences in the various places of the world, only common features—eternal human nature.”

“I feel such a difference between a philologist/linguist and a linguaphile as, say, a choreographer and a ballerina.”

“[S]elf-assurance, motivation, and a good method play a much more important role in language learning than the vague concept of innate ability, and that dealing with languages is not only an effective and joyful means of developing human relationships, but also of preserving one's mental capacity and spiritual balance.”

“The spread of languages shouldn't imply the decay of national languages. There are so many literary and historical memories, so many joys and sorrows of the past linked to them that it is an obligation for all of us to guard their present and future.”

“Language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly.”

“[S]tudy has never been a burden for me but always an inexhaustible source of joy.”

“The beauty of a language is, generally judged by its soft or rigid, melodious or harsh, ring. Other aspects, such as the flexibility of derivation, play hardly any role in grading. Were it the case, Russian would certainly be placed on the winner’s stand. It would rank first in plasticity.”