The collection includes aphorisms, deep original statements of prominent figures of Russian culture of the 18th-19th centuries: Lomonosov, Novikov, Fonvizin, Batyushkov, Pushkin and many others. For the most part, these are quotes from works unknown to a wide audience. They will allow the reader to enrich their intellectual baggage and give a partial idea of ​ ​ the mood that existed in public life of that long era.