British - Historian | June 27, 1965 -
There is a view of Russian exceptionalism, that they are a unique civilisation, a view right since Ivan the Terrible that Russia is a special civilisation with a special culture. Putin is pushing that now.
Simon Sebag Montefiore
CultureViewUniqueNowSpecial
Putin regards Stalin as a great tsar; he is a great tsar. Asked who the worst tsars were, he said Nicholas II and Gorbachev.
GreatSaidWorstWhoHeRegards
Moses Montefiore loved Jerusalem, lived for Jerusalem, and even made it our family motto. A Zionist before the word was invented, he believed in the sacred idea of Jewish return as a religious Jew's duty, and in Jewish statehood.
FamilyMottoLovedDutyJewishIdea
Writing about Jerusalem can be such a minefield.
WritingJerusalemAbout
I always wanted to write a history of Jerusalem.
HistoryWriteAlwaysJerusalem
Around us, we do see attempts to delegitimize Israel, a sort of secret, hidden anti-Semitism growing in many countries, often on the right but also on the left.
GrowingHiddenSecretRightSeeUs
When we were in school, we were told that Stalin was a madman who got control of Europe, which teaches you nothing.
SchoolControlYouNothingEurope
A crenelated wall of books encircles my bed, its tottering towers looming ever taller, always on the verge of collapsing onto oblivious sleepers.
WallBedAlwaysBooksTowersEver
I read many wonderful novels, though I now find the idea of literary fiction obsolete.
FindNowFictionWonderfulIdea
I was taught Shakespeare brilliantly by an eccentric genius at Harrow named Jeremy Lemmon who made me want to be a writer.
MeGeniusWantWhoWriterMade
Russian writers enjoy almost sacred status.
EnjoyStatusSacredAlmostRussian
Under Stalin, artists weren't dissidents; all they hoped was to survive and write.
SurviveWriteArtistsWereStalin
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Simon Sebag Montefiore quotes