Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Quotes

Violence does not and cannot flourish by itself; it is inevitably intertwined with lying.

Those in possession of absolute power can not only prophesize and make their prophecies come true, but they can also lie and make their lies come true.

Ambition fortifies the will of man to become ruler over other men: it operates with deception, cajolery, and violence, it is the action of impurity upon impurity.

When whole races and peoples conspire to propagate gigantic mute lies in the interest of tyrannies and shams, why should we care anything about the trifling lies told by individuals?

Fascism is a lie told by bullies.

Any man who has once acclaimed violence as his method must inexorably choose falsehood as his principle.

The silent colossal National Lie that is the support and confederate of all the tyrannies and shams and inequalities and unfairnesses that afflict the peoples — that is the one to throw bricks and sermons at.

How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!

The truth is often a terrible weapon of aggression. It is possible to lie, and even to murder, with the truth.

A lie told often enough becomes the truth.

Power is domination, control, and therefore a very selective form of truth which is a lie.

Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

Extremism in defense of liberty is not a vice, but I denounce political extremism, of the left or the right, based on duplicity, falsehood, fear, violence and threats when they endanger liberty.

Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method inexorably must choose lying as his principle.

When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called "the People's Stick.

Among the several cloudy appellatives which have been commonly employed as cloaks for misgovernment, there is none more conspicuous in this atmosphere of illusion than the word Order.

Propaganda is that branch of the art of lying which consists in nearly deceiving your friends without quite deceiving your enemies.

We must be ready to employ trickery, deceit, law-breaking, withholding and concealing truth. We can and must write in a language which sows among the masses hate, revulsion, scorn, and the like, toward those who disagree with us.

If people tell an untruth long enough and loud enough, they begin to believe it themselves.

Two forms of government are favorable to the prevalence of falsehood and deceit. Under a Despotism, men are false, treacherous, and deceitful through fear, like slaves dreading the lash. Under a Democracy they are so as a means of attaining popularity and office, and because of the greed for wealth.

It is 2017, and we are living in the golden age of lying.

So a lie told a million times becomes the truth.

At no time did I suggest that violence is justice, and I can't believe I even have to explain that. But the alternative is letting someone like Kayleigh McEnany misquote and manipulate what you say. McEnany, who repeatedly lies to the American people.

Deceit and violence - these are the two forms of deliberate assault on human beings.

A big lie is more plausible than truth.