31 Quotes & Sayings By Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is the current President of Russia. He served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000, President from 2000 to 2008, and again Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012. He was a candidate in the 2004 Russian presidential election but did not win. Putin formally announced his candidacy on 5 December 2003 and won the March 2004 presidential election with over 75% of the vote Read more

He was re-elected for a third term as President in 2012. Putin was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg), to a family of teachers. After graduating from Leningrad State University in 1975, he worked as a KGB officer for three years before becoming a lawyer.

In 1979 he married Lyudmila Putina at the Black Sea resort of Sotchi. They have four daughters and one son.

1
It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as [inherently] exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal. . Vladimir Putin
2
We need business to understand its social responsibility, that the main task and objective for a business is not to generate extra income and to become rich and transfer the money abroad, but to look and evaluate what a businessman has done for the country, for the people, on whose account he or she has become so rich. Vladimir Putin
3
I have a very positive attitude to anyone who is protecting the environment, but it's inadmissible when people are using it as a means of promoting themselves, using it as a source of self-enrichment. I don't want to name any specific examples... but often, environmentalism is used to blackmail companies. Vladimir Putin
4
If you want my personal attitude, I would tell you that I don't care about a person's sexual orientation. Vladimir Putin
5
The United Nations' founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America's consent, the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades. Vladimir Putin
6
Construction of the first gas pipeline system was started during the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, and for all those years, from the 1960s until this day, Russia has been fulfilling its contract obligations in a very consistent and reliable way, regardless of the political situation. Vladimir Putin
7
How does one control weight? By not overeating. How does one stay in shape? One plays sports. There are no magic pills here. Vladimir Putin
8
Politics should not interfere with sports. And sports should impact politics. Vladimir Putin
9
As far as oligarchs who acquire sports team abroad, and invest money abroad, I wouldn't treat this phenomenon as something bad. Vladimir Putin
10
I spend a little time every day to play sports. Vladimir Putin
11
Above all, such sports as judo, in my view, teach people to relate to each other. They teach us to respect a partner, teach us to understand that an externally weak partner can not only put up worthy resistance, but, if you relax and take too much for granted, may even win. Vladimir Putin
12
The transfer of power is always a test of the constitutional system, a test of its strength. Vladimir Putin
13
I think happiness is love. Vladimir Putin
14
Journalism, as concerns collecting information, differs little if at all from intelligence work. In my judgment, a journalist's job is very interesting. Vladimir Putin
15
When the States already had nuclear weapons, and the Soviet Union was only building them, we got a significant amount of information through Soviet foreign intelligence channels. Vladimir Putin
16
Our military might is the guarantor of Russia's security and independence. Vladimir Putin
17
In 1995, Russia virtually gave Chechnya de facto statehood and independence even though, de jure, it didn't recognize Chechnya as an independent state. And I would like to emphasize strongly that Russia withdrew all of its troops, we moved the prosecutors, we moved all the police, dismantled all the courts, completely, 100 percent. Vladimir Putin
18
Terrorism has no nationality or religion. Vladimir Putin
19
The centuries-old history and culture of India, majestic architectural monuments and museums of Delhi, Agra and Mumbai have a unique attractive force. Vladimir Putin
20
We should not just consume hydrocarbon fuel but use it to develop nuclear energy, hydro power and renewable energy sources. Vladimir Putin
21
What is a uni-polar world? No matter how we beautify this term, it means one single centre of power, one single centre of force and one single master. Vladimir Putin
22
We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal. Vladimir Putin
23
I am the wealthiest man, not just in Europe, but in the whole world. I collect emotions. I am wealthy in that the people of Russia have twice entrusted me with the leadership of a great nation such as Russia - I believe that is my greatest wealth. Vladimir Putin
24
A considerable share of the world's population still cannot afford comfortable housing, education and quality health care. Vladimir Putin
25
I think every person should have some faith inside him, in his heart. What matters is not an external display of this faith, but the inner state of the soul. Vladimir Putin
26
My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. Vladimir Putin
27
The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine. Vladimir Putin
28
My notion of the KGB came from romantic spy stories. I was a pure and utterly successful product of Soviet patriotic education. Vladimir Putin
29
At least in Russia, you cannot just go and tap into someone's phone conversation without a warrant issued by court. That's more or less the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism. Vladimir Putin
30
If there are people who act outside the law, then the state must use legal means to impose law in the interests of majority. That's the way it's done in the U.S., and that's the way it's done in Russia. Vladimir Putin