Astolphe de Custine

“The Russian government is an absolute monarchy tempered by assassination.”

“I do not blame the Russians for being what they are, I blame them for pretending to be what we are.”

“In Russia, whatever is not forbidden is obligatory.”

“The political system of Russia could not survive for twenty years in free communication with Western Europe.”

“In Russia, history forms a part of the state domain; it is the moral property of the crown.”

“Hypocrisy is a vice that has become a national institution in Russia.”

“Tyranny is not only a fact, it is a system.”

“The air of this country is not conducive to truth.”

“Siberia begins at the Kremlin gates.”

“The Emperor of Russia is a military chief, and each of his days is a day of battle.”

“In the heart of the Russian people is a sublime power of renunciation.”

“Russia is a nation of mutes.”

“The despotism of Russia is the discipline of the camp substituted for the order of the city.”

“So much falsehood, so much cunning, creates a political reality as impenetrable as the physical nature of the country.”