Life & Mortality Quote by Alexander Volkov

Volkov frames learning as an act of will, not a service you receive. The first sentence is a quiet provocation: it demotes the teacher from authority to catalyst. In a culture that loves credentials and “best practices,” he insists the real engine is internal - a self that chooses to notice, to question, to connect. That’s not self-help optimism so much as a moral claim: ignorance is often less about lack of access than lack of attention.

The line “dead or alive, great or unknown” widens the classroom to something almost radical. It flattens the hierarchy of expertise without denying mastery. Canonical geniuses and anonymous bystanders become equally usable, not because they’re equal in talent, but because the learner’s hunger determines what can be extracted. It’s also a stealth defense of reading and historical memory: the dead are still available if you’re literate, curious, and patient.

Volkov’s subtext is sharpened by his era. Born in 1891, he lived through revolutions, war, and the Soviet century’s heavy machinery of official schooling and sanctioned knowledge. Against any system that claims to monopolize truth, “we really teach ourselves” reads like a dignified workaround: even inside constraints, the mind can keep gathering contraband insights.

The final clause - “if you are willing to pay attention” - is the kicker. Attention is positioned as discipline and courage, not a vibe. He’s describing learning as a daily practice of seeing what’s there, including what institutions, routines, or your own comfort would prefer you not notice.