“I think Putin's popularity was genuine when he first came to power. He...” — Masha Gessen Quote

“I think Putin's popularity was genuine when he first came to power. He was seen as a welcome relief from the Yeltsin era.”

“To exercise ignorance, racist prejudice, a love of power and total disregard for factual accuracy, one has to inhabit a world where everything can mean anything and nothing is certain.”

“For years I was the only publicly out gay person who was not a full-time gay activist: my position as a quasi-foreigner gave me a privileged perch, and my ability to earn money by writing for western publications made me almost impervious to discrimination. Other Russians were not in a hurry to come out.”

“I have watched the movies of the 1980s on TV. At times, I feel that I should have lived in that era.”

“Now is the era of intellect, information and the Internet.”

“I feel like my era was an era in which guys learned their trade the old school way.”