Author of quotes: Joseph de Maistre

When the current emperor (Alexander I) received the beginnings of education, his father Paul I once decided to look at how he wrote, and found, in particular, such words: "Jesus by the nickname Christ, the Jew, from whom the Christian sect got its name." La Garpa's hand was felt here. His father arranged a big drag to Field Marshal Saltykov, who was responsible for education, who, however, remained in his place, like La Garp.

One honest senator, expressing an opinion that contradicted the point of view of the Minister of Justice, was afraid of offending the latter, and what was his surprise when the minister, taking him aside, told him: “You gave me great pleasure in speaking out against me, because in fact, I expressed this opinion only in order to please the emperor, in reality I think quite the opposite.

Recently baptized the son of Mrs. D., the wife of the chamberlain D. The priest, who was dead drunk, dropped the child in the font, which, however, was quickly caught, but he received something like a runny nose, for some time haunted him.

Peter III took possession of the property of the clergy. In the corresponding preamble of the predatory decree it was said that the fulfillment of the spiritual duties of the Church, whose kingdom is not of this world, should not interfere with the management of earthly goods, etc. Thirty years later, the same was said in another country, and this will always be repeated wherever they wish to do something similar.

The collection of engravings in the Hermitage is the most beautiful of all that exists, but the guards steal them mercilessly. Even bandaged meetings are crippled, some engravings are simply cut out. Currently, there is a very respected and honest artist working there, who told me about these cute tricks. (August 1808)

Vicious justice is an almost incurable disease in Russia.

... in the whole universe there is no one less prudent than the Russian.

Once, while in Tsarskoe Selo, Grand Duke Paul (later Paul I) slightly scratched his leg. He showed the scratch to the doctor, who advised him to lubricate it with lard a little. On that day, a pood (thirty-eight pounds) of lard was included in the estimate, which was paid every day for three years.

In the neighboring province for the restructuring of the wooden church in the stone collected donations in the amount of thirty thousand rubles. The governor took them, said that the wooden church was also good.

A distinctive feature of the Russian is the highest fear of a higher person and the highest contempt for him.

No one knows what war is until you send your own son.

Every nation has the government that deserves.