Author of quotes: Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev. Page 1

From spiritual emptiness and the aggression generated by it in ideology. <...> Simplified concepts of life (where is the worldview!) Fill human behavior with aggressiveness, dominate among young people. Hence the danger of spreading extreme political theories: <...> "When those around you are afraid - it's so nice!" <...> The emptiness is aggressive. It threatens to burst with a bang, sometimes even with danger to the lives of others, to their eyes in any case ... Sometimes a spiritless person even wants to suffer, to get involved in a fight. This gives him the appearance of a person "suffering for beliefs." Emptiness creates noise in which lack of spirituality is hidden.

Sometimes one righteous person can save the honor of an entire nation.

Who does not notice what is happening in the country, or a scoundrel or an idiot.

- Dmitry, you are a representative of the liberal intelligentsia...
- Darling, I'm a liberal intellectual? I have a profession and I love the Motherland!

Deprive a truly intelligent man all his knowledge, education, depriving him of the memory. He forgot everything in the world will not know the classics of literature, will not remember the greatest works of art, forget the most important historical events, but if it will retain susceptibility to intellectual values, love of learning, interest in history, an aesthetic feeling, will be able to distinguish a real work of art from the rough "thing", only to surprise if he will be able to admire the beauty of nature, to understand the character and personality of another person, enter in his position, and realizing the other person to help him, not show rudeness, indifference, malice, envy, and appreciate the other's dignity, if he shows respect for the culture of the past, the skills of the educated person, the responsibility in addressing moral issues, wealth and precision of his language - spoken and written, - that it would be an intelligent person.

The considerable time that is now (not the future).

Fate has made me an expert on ancient Russian literature. However, what do you mean "fate"? Fate was with me... But the same fate at the same time constantly distracting me from studying academic science. By nature I obviously knew...

So I'm talking only about main life task. And this main life task is not necessary to emphasize in the eyes of other people. I must dress well (this is respect for others), but not necessarily "better than others". And the library itself need to be, but not necessarily greater than the neighbor. The car is good to purchase for yourself and family is convenient. Don't turn the secondary into the primary and don't need to main goal of life is exhausting you where it's not needed. When needed - is another matter. We'll see who and what is capable of.

Nationalism is a manifestation of a nation's weakness, not its strength. Infected with nationalism for the most part weak people, trying to save themselves through nationalist sentiments and ideology. But great people, people with their great culture, have to be good, especially if connected to the fate of a small nation. A great nation must help small people save themselves, their language, their culture...

An intellectual is not to pretend.

People should have the right to change their beliefs for serious moral reasons. If he changes his beliefs for reasons of profitability, is the highest immorality. If an intelligent man upon reflection comes to others thoughts, feeling they were wrong, especially in matters related to morality, is it can not drop.

National characteristics should not be exaggerated, to make them exceptional. National characteristics bring people together, to motivate people of other nationalities, and do not remove people from national environments of other peoples are not causing the Nations to himself.

The basic principle of intelligence - intellectual freedom, freedom as a moral category. Not free intelligent man just from his conscience and from his thoughts.

A nation that does not value intelligence is doomed. History of the Russian intelligentsia is the history of Russian thought.