"Napoleon is a torrent which as yet we are unable to stem. Moscow will be the sponge that will suck him dry"
- Mikhail Kutuzov
About this Quote
This quote by Mikhail Kutuzov is a metaphor comparing Napoleon to a gush, or an effective and unstoppable force. Kutuzov is suggesting that Napoleon is too powerful to be stopped, which Moscow will be the only thing that can slow him down. He is implying that Moscow will be the only thing that can take in the power of Napoleon, which it will eventually be the important things that will bring him down. This quote is a testimony to the power of Moscow, and the strength of the Russian people. Kutuzov is recommending that despite the fact that Napoleon is an effective force, individuals of Moscow will be able to withstand him and ultimately bring him down. This quote is a pointer of the strength of the Russian people and their ability to endure even the most powerful forces.
"I remember in 1978 meeting two Ugandan captains in the hotel talking Russian. They had been educated in Moscow and since they came from different Ugandan peoples, it was the only way they could understand one another"
"I would have loved to have met some former spies, but they don't readily advertise themselves unless they're not living in Moscow, and even then. I'm sure I've met some without realizing it"
"What I will remember most from my time in NATO is meeting children in the countries where I've gone to, to Moscow and to Kiev, I've met school children"
"I think it was in Moscow last year and I got changed for training the day before we played Moscow, but the fact is they actually wanted to do John's, me and John were next to each other and they did mine by mistake. John had done them I think. So yeah it is true"
"Indeed, for almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on a war unsupportable by the government, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire"
"To this day I don't ever remember seeing a pet inside Moscow, I never saw anyone carrying a dog, or leading a dog. Err I finally saw a, a pet some years later in Kiev, so I thought that life must have been, different"
"You must go deeper into Russia - 150 kilometres from Moscow or more, and look there. The kids are fed with cattle feed - people don't get paid for half a year"
