Abigaelle

“Life works in such a way that social progress and a better future can only be achieved if a certain number of people are willing to pay the price for their right to have their own beliefs. The more of them there are, the less everyone has to pay. And the day will come when speaking the truth and advocating for justice will be commonplace and not dangerous in Russia.”
― Alexei Navalny, Patriot: A Memoir

“But I will not give up either my ideas or my homeland. My convictions are not exotic, sectarian, or radical. On the contrary, everything I believe in is based on science and historical experience. Those in power should change. The best way to elect leaders is through honest and free elections. Everyone needs a fair legal system. Corruption destroys the state. There should be no censorship. The future lies in these principles.”
― Alexey Navalny, Patriot: A Memoir

“What they inspect most closely are the books. I noticed this long ago, and it is plainly a legacy of the U.S.S.R. Books are a source of instability and dissidence. In a prison it is conceivable that your jacket will not be adequately examined and a mobile phone will be overlooked. You can be sure, however, that every one of your books will be taken away, listed, examined, stamped “Checked for Extremist Content,” and only then given back to you. Such is the power of the written word.”
― Alexey Navalny, Patriot: A Memoir

“And there we were, breaking lances and talking ourselves hoarse about reforms when there was nothing there. Zilch. Yeltsin’s entourage were a bunch of crooks, some of whom called themselves patriotic statesmen while a similar bunch called themselves reformers. The reformers did more thieving but looked more presentable.”
― Alexei Navalny, Patriot: A Memoir