Mikhail Gorbachev Quotes & Sayings

I don't think Russia is setting this as a goal; I don't think this should be Russia's goal. I think even the United States doesn't need to be a superpower. China doesn't need to be a superpower. It's a different world. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I will never give up politics. I've tried to give it up three times, but I never made it. Politics mobilizes me. I won't last long if I give it up. — Mikhail Gorbachev

A period of transition to a new quality in all spheres of society's life is accompanied by painful phenomena. When we were initiating perestroika we failed to properly assess and foresee everything. Our society turned out to be hard to move off the ground, not ready for major changes which affect people's vital interests and make them leave behind everything to which they had become accustomed over many years. In the beginning we imprudently generated great expectations, without taking into account the fact that it takes time for people to realize that all have to live and work differently, to stop expecting that new life would be given from above. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Those who are late will be punished by life itself. — Mikhail Gorbachev

We need a new system of values, a system of the organic unity between humankind and nature and the ethic of global responsibility. — Mikhail Gorbachev

In October 1917, we parted with the old world, rejecting it once and for all. We are moving toward a new world, a world of Communism. We shall never turn off that road. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The problem the world faces today is that only one-third of the world's population lives in decent circumstances, while half the population of the world lives on one or two dollars a day. And even as we have this poverty and backwardness, we are facing a global environmental crisis. We need developmental models that will take into account the specific and unique position of each country and at the same time will address the environmental crisis. — Mikhail Gorbachev

In Russia, there are those who make their money in criminal ways, but I earn everything myself. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Even today, a majority of people surveyed say that they regret the fact that the USSR collapsed. But only 9 percent say that they would want it back. — Mikhail Gorbachev

It will not be enough to rely on experts. Ordinary citizens must become experts too. It will take public opinion on a wide scale to ensure that world leaders act. — Mikhail Gorbachev

If not me, who? And if not now, when? — Mikhail Gorbachev

If what you have done yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today. — Mikhail Gorbachev

One day we took each other by the hand and went for a walk in the evening. And we walked like that for our whole life. — Mikhail Gorbachev

What we need is Star Peace and not Star Wars. — Mikhail Gorbachev

We desperately need to recognize that we are the guests not the masters of nature and adopt a new paradigm for development, based on the costs and benefits to all people, and bound by the limits of nature herself rather than the limits of technology and consumerism. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Today, peace means the ascent from simple coexistence to cooperation and common creativity among countries and nations. — Mikhail Gorbachev

You cannot go to sleep with one form of economic system and wake up the next morning with another. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I couldn't wait to get to the most powerful position, because I thought then I would be able to fix problems that only the leader can fix. But when I got there, I realized we needed revolutionary change. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Jesus was the first socialist, the first to seek a better life for mankind. — Mikhail Gorbachev

When future generations judge those who came before them on environmental issues, they may conclude "they didn't know": let us not go down in history as the generations who knew, but didn't care — Mikhail Gorbachev

We could only solve our problems by cooperating with other countries. It would have been paradoxical not to cooperate. And therefore we needed to put an end to the Iron Curtain, to change the nature of international relations, to rid them of ideological confrontation, and particularly to end the arms race. — Mikhail Gorbachev

To me, nature is sacred; trees are my temples and forests are my cathedrals. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Sometimes when you stand face to face with someone, you cannot see his face. — Mikhail Gorbachev

What about Jesus Christ? I say that he was a precursor of idealists; a precursor of socialists. — Mikhail Gorbachev

More socialism means more democracy, openness and collectivism in everyday life. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Globalization was supposed to break down barriers between continents and bring all peoples together. But what kind of globalization do we have with over one billion people on the planet not having safe water to drink? — Mikhail Gorbachev

You are fortunate to live here. If I were your President, I would levy a tax on you for living in San Francisco! — Mikhail Gorbachev

We have no right ever to forget that psychological warfare
is a struggle for winning people's minds. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The world's deteriorating ecology poses as great a danger to mankind today as did the nuclear standoff between the superpowers at the height of the Cold War. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The guilt of Stalin and his immediate entourage before the Party and the people for the mass repressions and lawlessness they committed is enormous and unforgivable. — Mikhail Gorbachev

A society should never become like a pond with stagnant water, without movement. That's the most important thing. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The market came with the dawn of civilization and it is not an invention of capitalism ... If it leads to improving the well-being of the people there is no contradiction with socialism. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Though representatives of many ethnic groups came together in the United States, English became their common language. Apparently, this was a natural choice. One can imagine what would have happened if members of each nation moving to the U.S. had spoken only their own tongues and refused to learn English. — Mikhail Gorbachev

My goal was to avoid bloodshed. But unfortunately there was some bloodshed, after all. — Mikhail Gorbachev

God has given us enough wisdom to make improvements in our relations. — Mikhail Gorbachev

If the Russian word " perestroika " has easily entered the international lexicon, this is due to more than just interest in what is going on in the Soviet Union. Now the whole world needs restructuring, i.e. progressive development, a fundamental change. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I support freedom and I support a free market economy, but it should be a socially oriented market economy. I support globalization, but it should be globalization with a human face. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Communist ideology in its pure form is akin to
Christianity. Its main ideas are the brotherhood of all
peoples irrespective of their nationality, justice and
equality, peace, and an end to all hostility between
peoples. — Mikhail Gorbachev

It would be naive to think that the problems plaguing mankind today can be solved with means and methods which were applied or seemed to work in the past. — Mikhail Gorbachev

We must treat water as if it were the most precious thing in the world, the most valuable natural resource. Be economical with water! Don't waste it! We still have time to do something about this problem before it is too late. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Nature is reminding us that it used to exist without human beings. — Mikhail Gorbachev

A New World Order is required to deal with the Climate Change crisis. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Imagine a country that flies into space, launches Sputniks, creates such a defense system, and it can't resolve the problem of women's pantyhose. There's no toothpaste, no soap powder, not the basic necessities of life. It was incredible and humiliating to work in such a government. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The phenomenon of UFOs does exist, and it must be treated seriously. — Mikhail Gorbachev

We are beginning to see practical support. And this is a very significant sign of the movement towards a new era, a new age ... We see both in our country and elsewhere ... ghosts of the old thinking ... When we rid ourselves of their presence, we will be better able to move toward a new world order ... relying on the relevent mechanisms of the United Nations. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to it. People move when there is too little of it. People move when there is too much of it. People journey down it. People write, sing and dance about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Contemporary social democracy is what I believe is the right concept. — Mikhail Gorbachev

It will be difficult, even painful, but democracy will prevail in Russia. There will be no dictatorship, although relapses into authoritarianism are possible. — Mikhail Gorbachev

A new world order is taking shape so fast that governments as well as private citizens find it difficult just to absorb the gallop of events. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Democracy must learn to defend itself. — Mikhail Gorbachev

If current technological processes continue without change, the environment will change, and we, the human species, will either have to mutate or even die, to disappear, as many species have disappeared. — Mikhail Gorbachev

We are not abandoning our convictions, our philosophy or traditions, nor do we urge anyone to abandon theirs. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I paid too heavy a price for perestroika. — Mikhail Gorbachev

What happened to the Soviet Union happened mainly for domestic reasons. It was a failure of the model based on a command economy and dictatorship. The rejection of freedom and democracy, the decisionmaking monopoly of one party, and the monopoly of one ideology all had a chilling effect on the country. That model turned out to be incapable of making structural changes. It did not open up ways for initiative and was overly centralized. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Surely, God on high has not refused to give us enough wisdom to find ways to bring us an improvement in relations between the two great nations on earth. — Mikhail Gorbachev

If you are not moving forward, you are moving backward. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I'm still committed to the socialist idea because the socialist idea, correctly understood, includes the principles of freedom and social justice. It also includes the recognition of the value of democracy. When we speak about social justice, it means that freedom should be used not only in the interest of profit but also in the interest of the advancement of the people who create all values. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Lake Baikal in Russia has 25 percent of the freshwater resources of the world. Sixty-five percent of the Russian ecosystems are in danger. So let's preserve what we have, and let's take good care of nature. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The United States found dozens of billions of dollars for military action in Iraq, so it should certainly be able to find a few billions of dollars to get rid of weapons of mass destruction. I'll assume that since the most powerful nation - the United States - has promised to pay for much of this, then its word will be kept. If it isn't, I don't think we can have a true partnership. — Mikhail Gorbachev

A new generation of more educated people started to be active. Then society required freedom, society demanded freedom. — Mikhail Gorbachev

In principle as a philosophy, a model of organising society, Communism has to be respected. As regards the use of certain methods to advance social justice and greater regulation by the state, there are certain methods that are useful. What we need is a new society, a new civilization and convergence of all that is best in both [Communism and Capitalism] — Mikhail Gorbachev

Man is beginning to explore the galaxy. But how much remains undone on earth? — Mikhail Gorbachev

We used to have just one criterion and that was profit, and then another criterion was added - social welfare. Now we have to add the third important criterion, and that is nature and the environment. — Mikhail Gorbachev

History punishes those that come late to it. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Sometimes people ask me why I began perestroika. Were the causes basically domestic or foreign? The domestic reasons were undoubtedly the main ones, but the danger of nuclear war was so serious that it was a no less significant factor. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The time has come to develop integrated global policies. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I certainly wouldn't say that we loved the arms race. Trillions of dollars were used to stoke it. For our economy, which was smaller in size than the American economy, it was a burden. But one cannot agree with the statement that the arms race played the key role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Politics is my second love, next to my love for Raisa [Gorbacheva]. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The time has come to choose a new direction of global development, to opt for a new civilization. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Our rockets can find Halley's comet, and fly to Venus with amazing accuracy, but side by side with these scientific and technical triumphs is an obvious lack of efficiency in using scientific achievements for economic needs ... many Soviet household appliances are of poor quality. — Mikhail Gorbachev

We need a new environmental consciousness on a global basis. To do this, we need to educate people. — Mikhail Gorbachev

It is my firm belief that the infinite and uncontrollable fury of nuclear weapons should never be held in the hands of any mere mortal ever again, for any reason. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The ecological crisis, in short, is the population crisis. Cut the population by 90% and there aren't enough people left to do a great deal of ecological damage. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Being resolute today means to act within the framework of political and social pluralism and the rule of law to provide conditions for continued reform and prevent a breakdown of the state and economic collapse, prevent the elements of chaos from becoming catastrophic.
All this requires taking certain tactical steps, to search for various ways of addressing both short- and long-term tasks. Such efforts and political and economic steps, agreements based on reasonable compromise, are there for everyone to see. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Dangers await only those who do not react to life. — Mikhail Gorbachev

It sometimes seems to me that some of our Western partners do not want Russia to fully recover. They would like Russia to be in a subdued state, and they want Russian resources to be used for the benefit of the U.S. economy. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I began to feel the desire for something more; I wanted to do something to make things better. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I believe in the cosmos. All of us are linked to the cosmos. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Women prevent the threads of life from being broken. The finest minds have always understood the peacemaking role of women. — Mikhail Gorbachev

People, human beings with all their creative diversity, are the makers of history. — Mikhail Gorbachev

We could still have continued the arms race, but the arms race was pointless, and it was another reason we decided to start perestroika. It was senseless to continue to accumulate weapons. We had enough weapons to destroy life on Earth 1,000 times, and therefore it was very clear to us that the arms race could spiral out of control. A conflict could have started, as both the Americans and the Soviets realized, not out of a wrong political decision but because of a failure in the command-and-control systems. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The socialist tradition ... goes back to Jesus Christ,
not (Karl) Marx. — Mikhail Gorbachev

History teaches us, however, that when the times are ripe for change and the government refuses or is unable to change, either society starts to decay or a revolution begins. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I envisage the prinicles of the Earth Charter to be a new form of the ten commandments. They lay the foundation for a sustainable global earth community. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Starting reforms in the Soviet Union was only possible from above, only from above. Any attempt to go from below was suppressed, suppressed in a most resolute way. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The threat of a world war is no more. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Alexander Solzhenitsyn in his speech accepting the Nobel Prize: Violence has no way to conceal itself except by lies, and lies have no way to maintain themselves except through violence. Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method inexorably must choose lying as his principle. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Democracy is the wholesome and pure air without which a socialist public organization cannot live a full-blooded life. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The world will not accept dictatorship or domination. — Mikhail Gorbachev

In effect, according to Lenin, socialism and democracy are indivisible. By gaining democratic freedoms the working masses come to power. — Mikhail Gorbachev

My life's work has been accomplished. I did all that I could. — Mikhail Gorbachev

It seems that the most important thing about Reagan was his anti-Communism and his reputation as a hawk who saw the Soviet Union as an 'evil empire.' — Mikhail Gorbachev

Without perestroika, the cold war simply would not have ended. But the world could not continue developing as it had, with the stark menace of nuclear war ever present. — Mikhail Gorbachev

If people don't like Marxism, they should blame the British Museum. — Mikhail Gorbachev

I think God has some mechanism that he uses to punish those that make mistakes. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The forests of Russia and Brazil are the lungs of the Earth. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Putin wants to stay in power, but not so that he can finally solve our most pressing problems: education, health care, poverty. — Mikhail Gorbachev

The EU is the old Soviet Union dressed in Western clothes — Mikhail Gorbachev

No one, no single center, can today command the world. No single group of countries can do it. Under the current U.S. president, I don't think we can fundamentally change the situation as it is developing now. It is dangerous. The world is experiencing a period of growing global disarray. — Mikhail Gorbachev

Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal changes in the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep. — Mikhail Gorbachev