“Politics is a matter of leading other people. Admittedly not where they want to go, but where they ought to go.”

“Politics is the only field in which the character of a person does not stand in the way of his career.”

“In order to exert influence over people, there were other things that could be used besides love. Knowledge seemed to be an equally strong force, perhaps even stronger. Whoever possessed knowledge not only had power over the changeable passions of people, but also power over their thinking, over their minds, hearts and souls.”

“Anything we do to fight misery and ignorance and poverty, no matter how imperfect it may be, is still better than doing nothing at all.”

“Instead of discussing with myself every morning whether I feel inspired or not, I step into my office every day at nine sharp, open the window and politely ask the muse to enter and kiss me. Sometimes she comes in, more often she does not. But she can never claim that she hasn’t found me waiting in the right place.”

“Whoever possessed knowledge not only had power over the changeable passions of people, but also power over their thinking, over their minds, hearts and souls.”

“I no longer believe in love," she said bitterly. "When people claim to have lost their heart, it's usually only their wits that have vanished.”