Alexandra Cook

“In the Cold War, the West celebrated dissidents such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Sakharov, and Vaclav Havel, who had the courage to challenge the Soviet system from within. Today, there are many dissidents who challenge Islam – former Muslims, and reformers – but the West either ignores them or dismisses them as “not representative.” This is a grave mistake. Reformers must be supported and protected. They should be as well known as Solzhenitsyn, Sakharov, and Havel were in the 1980s – and as well known as Locke and Voltaire were their day, when the West needed freethinkers of its own.”
― Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now

“You know that I immerse myself in music, so to speak— that I think about it all day long— that I like experimenting— studying— reflecting.”
― Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“– Еда, Иван Арнольдович, штука хитрая. Есть нужно уметь, и представьте, большинство людей вовсе есть не умеет. Нужно не только знать, что съесть, но и когда и как. (Филипп Филиппович многозначительно потряс ложкой.) И что при этом говорить, да-с! Если вы заботитесь о своем пищеварении, вот добрый совет: не говорите за обедом о большевизме и о медицине. И, Боже вас сохрани, не читайте до обеда советских газет!”
― Mikhail Bulgakov, Собачье сердце

“Profound thoughts arise only in debate, with a possibility of counterargument, only when there is a possibility of expressing not only correct ideas, but also dubious ideas.”
― Andrei Sakharov