The 65 best phrases of Borís Yeltsin

Borís Nikoláyevich Yeltsin, known simply as Boris Yeltsin, was president of the Russian Federation in 1992 and re-elected in 1996, remaining as the first president of the nation after the dissolution of the old Union Soviet. His mandate was full of controversies, where corruption stood out above all, that led him to leave office in 1999 and to hand it over to the current president of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

• We recommend you read: "The 80 best phrases of Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov)"

Famous quotes from Borís Yeltsin

However a government may have been, it undoubtedly left a (negative) mark on the history of its country, which you will be able to know through the best phrases of Borís Yeltsin that we present to you continuation.

1. We don't appreciate what we have until it's gone.

A sad reality.

2. I am convinced that the time will come when, with his message of eternal and universal values, he will come to the aid of our society.

Evils never last forever.

3. We force our way forward through mistakes, through failures. Many people at this difficult time experienced shock.

Sometimes the hardest thing is to keep going over seemingly impossible obstacles.

4. In the immediate future I will be calling on the leaders of these states to put an end to this type of activity.

A promise that got out of hand.

5. I turned out to be too naive about something. In some places, the problems seemed too complicated.

It seems that this politician bit off more than he could chew.

6. I cannot blame Chechnya for the pain of many fathers and mothers. I made the decision, therefore I am responsible.

Talking about the complicated conflict in Chechnya that unfolded during his tenure.

7. The expansion of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to the East is a mistake and a serious mistake.

One of his challenges during his rule.

8. The peoples of Russia are becoming masters of their destiny.

Everyone is responsible for his future.

9. Freedom frees the mind, fosters independence, and unorthodox thinking and ideas. But it doesn't offer instant prosperity or happiness and wealth for everyone.

Wealth and happiness is different for everyone.

10. It should not interfere with this natural course of history.

If the story is prosperous, should it be changed?

11. Strikes have already started in Leningrad and some factories in the Urals have also joined.

Protests were common during his term in office.

12. Storm clouds of terror and dictatorship are gathering over the entire country... They must not be allowed to bring eternal night.

Dictatorship and darkness.

13. Humanity has never experienced a misfortune of such magnitude, with consequences so serious and so difficult to eliminate.

Talking about the Chernobyl accident.

14. Life has shown us with some brutality that Russia cannot feel safe without her own national guard.

A reference on the security of the nation.

15. You can build a throne with bayonets, but it is difficult to sit on it.

Nothing that has been achieved by shedding blood remains.

16. To hold power for another half year, when the country has a strong man who is worthy of being president and with whom practically all Russians today link their hopes for the future? Why should I interfere with it?

Announcement of his resignation from power.

17. In order to minimize the negative consequences for Russia, we decided to sign an agreement with NATO.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice something for the greater good.

18. Perhaps, for the first time in history, there is a real possibility of ending despotism and dismantling the totalitarian order, whatever form it takes.

A dream that we do not know if it really came true.

19. I'm going. I did everything I could.

Leaving his post.

20. Freedom is like that. It is like the air. When we don't have it, we don't notice it.

Freedom is greatly underrated.

21. You can see that what you are writing about is that today's meeting with President Bill Clinton was going to be a disaster. Now, for the first time, I can tell you that you are a mess.

There are things that start and end badly.

22. (The war) could have been one of my mistakes.

Acknowledging your failures.

23. Despite all the difficulties and severe trials that the people are going through, the democratic process in the country is acquiring an ever wider scope and an irreversible character.

Democracy must be the priority of all governments.

24. A man must live like a great bright flame and burn as intensely as he can.

Don't be afraid to know your limits.

25. I am confident that after all the unthinkable tragedies and tremendous losses it has suffered, humanity will reject this legacy. It will not allow the 21st century to bring new suffering and deprivation to our children and grandchildren.

The hope for the future is not to repeat the dark past.

26. I myself believed in this, that we could overcome everything at once.

Sometimes innocence is our worst enemy.

27. Today, on this extraordinarily important day to me, I want to say a few more personal words than usual.

It is never too late to open up to others.

28. Thousands of mercenaries, who have trained in camps on the territory of Chechnya, as well as come from abroad, are actually preparing to impose extremist ideas around the world.

Opinion on the conflict unleashed in Chechnya.

29. Why wait another half year? No, that's not for me! It's just not in my character!

Borís did not want to extend a stagnant term.

30. History shows that it is a dangerous delusion to suppose that the destinies of the continents and of the world community in general can somehow be managed from a single capital.

Power should never be centralized.

31. Sense of proportion and humanitarian action are not problems for terrorists. Your objective is to kill and destroy.

No terrorist has good intentions.

32. I apologize for not justifying some hopes of those people who believed that in one fell swoop, At once, we could jump from the gray, stagnant, totalitarian past, to the light, rich, and civilized.

That's why you don't have to make promises without knowing if we can keep them.

33. We are stuck halfway, after leaving an old level.

Stagnation can lead to ruin.

34. You have no right to criticize Russia for Chechnya.

On the Chechen confrontations during his tenure.

35. It just happened (...) What can one do?

A good excuse?

36. In the end it burns. But this is much better than a small medium flame.

You have to give everything, even if we can fail.

37. I want to ask for your forgiveness. Due to the fact that many of the dreams we share did not come true. And because of the fact that what seemed simple to us turned out to be tremendously difficult.

The former president assumed his faults.

38. I understand that it is difficult for everyone, but one cannot give in to emotions ...

There are times when it is necessary to control our emotions.

39. Your commanders have ordered you to break into the White House and arrest me. But I, as the elected president of Russia, give him the order to turn on his tanks and not fight his own people.

You should not always respond to a threat with violence.

40. We continue to be carried away by a stream of problems that engulf us and prevent us from reaching a new level.

The price for not learning the lessons is repeating our past.

41. It is Russia's mission to be first among equals.

Fighting to be a powerhouse.

42. There are numerous mistakes in the profession of a politician. First, ordinary life suffers. Second, there are many temptations to ruin yourself and those around you. And I guess third, and this is rarely discussed, the people at the top usually don't have friends.

It is not easy to go into politics.

43. Let's not talk about communism. Communism was just an idea, a castle in the air.

Communism evolves.

44. Dissidents must be paid 13 months' salary for one year, otherwise our mindless unanimity will lead us to an even more desperate state of stagnation.

A taste of his focus on his mandate.

45. Wherever my call to strike is heard, the people stand behind it.

Whenever there are reasons, strikes are necessary.

46. There will be no devaluation of the ruble. I say this firmly and explicitly.

Speaking shortly before the devaluation of its currency.

47. None of these countries had revolutions with bloody casualties and there was no civil war in any of the republics ...

Russia is one of the countries with the most fighting in its history.

48. It is especially important to encourage unorthodox thinking when the situation is critical: in those moments, each new word and each new thought is more valuable than gold.

Innovation leads to advancement.

49. We are going to have to draw lessons from the current crisis and now we are going to have to work on overcoming it.

Every mistake is a lesson to be analyzed.

50. Sometimes emotions confuse the Russia-United States relationship. This is not the way Bill and I treat each other.

Talking about the tensions with the United States.

51. But I don't believe in a civil war.

A war conflict is the last thing anyone wishes for their nation.

52. It is especially important to foster orthodox thinking, when the situation is critical: in these moments every new word and fresh thought is more precious than gold.

Orthodox things don't survive for long.

53. Today is the last day of a bygone era.

Placing the end of his mandate.

54. I will borrow the words of Mark Twain to tell you that the rumors about my death are a bit exaggerated.

Apparently a lot of rumors were being created about him.

55. Russia must enter the new millennium with new politicians, new faces, new people, smart, strong and energetic.

The future needs new visionaries.

56. Russia had to change and changed.

Changes are always necessary.

57. People should not be deprived of the right to think their own thoughts.

Freedom must begin with freedom of opinion.

58. And we, who have been in power for many years, must go.

Sometimes you have to give up something to bring something better.

59. I believe that in this tragic hour you can make the right decision.

They are in the darkest moments, where we must think calmly.

60. It seems that some people have a short memory and are forgetting about that moment and the events that occurred at that time.

Never forget the lessons of the past.

61. The honor and glory of the Russian men-at-arms will not be stained with the blood of the people.

No regime should turn its weapons against its people.

62. No matter how agitated the environment is and how much the president and his advisers try to aggravate the situation, I am absolutely sure of the common sense of the people.

Every leader must listen to his people.

63. We are well aware of which countries and through which countries the terrorists are receiving support.

There are nations that support obscure causes out of convenience.

64. Money, a lot of money (which is a relative concept) is always, in all circumstances, a seduction, a test of morals, a temptation to sin.

Money can lead to corruption.

65. Today I address you for the last time with a New Year's greeting. But that is not all. Today I am addressing you for the last time as President of Russia.

Announcing his retirement from power.