7 things Russian tsars REALLY said
Russian tsars are attributed many “wise sayings” that they did not actually say. We have chosen only those that have been confirmed by written sources.
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan The Terrible by Klavdiy Lebedev
I do not boast about anything nor do I think about any pride, for I perform my royal duty and don’t do anything above my power.
– Ivan the Terrible’s first letter to Andrey Kurbsky, 1564.
Alexei Mikhailovich
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, second half of 17th century portrait
[There is ] a time for business and an hour for pleasure.
– ‘The falconer’s way’, a guide to falconry with the introduction of Alexei Mikhailovich, mid-17th century.
Peter the Great
Tsar Peter The Great Of Russia, portrait, 1700-1750
Our people are like children, who will never take up the alphabet, when they are not forced by the master, but when they learn it, then they are thankful.
– Supreme Decree to the Collegium of Manufactures of November 5, 1723.
When a man is wrong in his duty, he harms the whole state.
– ‘Explication [explanation] of state crimes’ for the draft Code of the Russian state, October 1723.
Catherine the Great
Catherine The Great by Fedor Rokotov
I am being robbed, the same way others are; but, this is a good sign and shows that there is something to steal.
– Letter to Madame Bjölke, dated April 12, 1775.
Nicholas I
Nicholas I by Franz Krüge
There is no doubt that serfdom is an evident and palpable evil, but to touch it now would be even more fatal.
– Speech at the State Council on March 30, 1842
Nicholas II
Nicholas II by G. Manizer
I bear a terrible responsibility before God and am ready to give him every minute an account, but as long as I live, I will act with conviction, as my conscience commands me.
– letter to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, 20 October 1902.
