I'm reading Simon Montefiore's wonderful book Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, using all kinds of new archival data and exclusive interviews with surviving relatives and associates of the Vozhd (I had no idea that Stalin's daughter was living in the Midwestern US). The insight it provides into the period and Stalin himself is deep, IMO, and I really recommend it.
Some great Stalin quotes in the book:
Stalin is berating one of his sons for using the Stalin name to get ahead. The son objects and says that he's a Stalin too. Stalin replies: "No you're not. You're not Stalin and I'm not Stalin. Stalin is the person in the portraits and the newspaper articles. No one is Stalin, not even me."
Spoken over telephone to one of his subordinates during the Battle of Moscow (maybe drunk?): "Comrade Stalin's not a traitor; Comrade Stalin's an honorable man. He only trusted too much in cavalrymen."
Written in a copy of a biography of Ivan the Terrible at the same period: "teacher teacher -- we will overcome."
Hearing about Hitler's death: "So thyat's teh end of the bastard."
===== Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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