Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol. (№ 290821)

The appearance of the second volume in the form in which it was, would produce more harm than good. <...> To withdraw some excellent characters, exhibiting high nobility of our breed, to anything will not lead. It will excite only one empty pride and boasting. Many of us even now, especially among the youth, began to boast not the best of Russian virtues, and not think about how to deepen and cultivate, but to put them on display and say to Europe: "Look, the Germans: we are better than you!" This boasting - the destroyer of all. It irritates others and causes harm to the bouncer. The best thing is you can turn in the mud, if only they boast and brag about. And we are not yet making the case, they brag! Brag about the future! No, for me, better temporary sadness and melancholy from himself than arrogance in itself. In the first case, the person, at least, sees his presenst, vile pettiness of my own, and involuntarily remember about God, ascending and deducing all from the depths of nothingness; in the latter case, he runs away from himself directly into the hands of the devil, the father of arrogance <...>. No, there are times when it is not possible to direct the society or even all of the generation is beautiful, until you show the depth of his true abomination; there are times that even we are not to talk about the high and beautiful without showing there as plain as day, paths and roads to it all.