
“You see, it only takes a tiny bit of pressure. A certain A.G. is called in, and it is well known that he is a nincompoop. And so to start he is instructed: "Write down a list of the people you know who have anti-Soviet attitudes." He is distressed and hesitates: "I'm not sure." He didn't jump up and didn't thump the table: "How dare you!" (Who does in our country? Why deal in fantasies!) "Aha, so you are not sure? Then write a list of people you can guarantee are one hundred percent Soviet people! But you are guaranteeing, you understand? If you provide even one of them with false references, you yourself will go to prison immediately. So why aren't you writing?" "Well, Iâ€� can't guarantee." "Aha, you can't? That means you know they are anti-Soviet. So write down immediately the ones you know about!" And so the good and honest rabbit A.G. sweats and fidgets and worries. He has too soft a soul, formed before the Revolution. He has sincerely accepted this pressure which is bearing down on him: Write either that they are Soviet or that they are anti-Soviet. He sees no third way out.”
―
The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation, Books III-IV
Share this quote:
Friends Who Liked This Quote
To see what your friends thought of this quote, please sign up!
1 like
All Members Who Liked This Quote
None yet!
This Quote Is From

3,239 ratings, average rating, 221 reviews
Browse By Tag
- love (98933)
- life (77805)
- inspirational (73887)
- humor (43563)
- philosophy (30234)
- inspirational-quotes (27638)
- god (26496)
- truth (24127)
- wisdom (23989)
- romance (23662)
- poetry (22640)
- life-lessons (21314)
- death (20196)
- quotes (19370)
- happiness (18784)
- hope (18105)
- faith (18043)
- inspiration (16878)
- spirituality (15370)
- motivational (15065)
- religion (15048)
- relationships (14808)
- writing (14719)
- life-quotes (14702)
- love-quotes (14456)
- success (13587)
- motivation (12679)
- time (12630)
- science (11818)
- motivational-quotes (11640)