America must be the teacher of democracy, not the advertiser of the consumer society. It is unrealistic for the rest of the world to reach the American living standard.

— Mikhail Gorbachev

A society should never become like a pond with stagnant water, without movement. That's the most important thing.

— Mikhail Gorbachev

Certain people in the United States are driving nails into this structure of our relationship, then cutting off the heads. So the Soviets must use their teeth to pull them out.

— Mikhail Gorbachev

Democracy must learn to defend itself.

— Mikhail Gorbachev

Ex-Presidents of the United States get state subsidies. Not so in Russia. You get no government support.

— Mikhail Gorbachev

I believe in the cosmos. All of us are linked to the cosmos.

— Mikhail Gorbachev

If not me, who? And if not now, when?

— Mikhail Gorbachev

If what you have done yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today.

— Mikhail Gorbachev

Imagine a country that flies into space, launches Sputniks, creates such a defense system, and it can't resolve the problem of women's pantyhose. There's no toothpaste, no soap powder, not the necessities of life. It was incredible and humiliating to work in such a government.

— Mikhail Gorbachev

I paid too heavy a price for perestroika.

— Mikhail Gorbachev