The Cossack replied, "Just doing silly things like gathering grass, looking at sand. Once, in a salt marsh, he said to me through a translator, 'Dive into the water and bring me some soil from the bottom.' I brought it, and it was nothing but regular dirt. But he asked, 'Is the water cold down there?' I thought to myself, no, my friend, you can't fool me. So I gave a formal salute and replied, 'Your Excellency, that's what I ought to do, as long as it's something I should do, I'm happy to serve you.'
Truly, although I love my motherland deeply, sometimes I can't help but feel that there are reasons for Europeans to look down on Russia. But ultimately, it's not because Russians are stupid, quite the opposite, it's because Russians are too clever, so much so that we have too many unnecessary tricks up our sleeves!
— Alexander Herzen, 'My Past and Thoughts'
