“Inkondlo yami okuyiyona engiphumelele ngayo, inkondlo ethi ‘Wena udlala ngegeja kuziliwe’. Lokhu kusuke kushiwo kumuntu osuke enza into ngokungafanele. Iyinkondlo yami entsha nalapho ngisuke ngiluleka khona odadewethu ngibaxwayisa ngabantbesilisa nangendlela okumele bafunde ukuzimela ngayo abantu besifazane. Isikhathi esiningi odadewethu baba nokuzenyeza ukuthi ngeke baze bakwazi ukuzimela ngaphandle kwabantu besilisa. Can you believe that it all happened to Russia, the world’s greatest power and a member of G8, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, less than 20 years ago? Drastic and at times, very painful measures were taken by the government to overcome this crisis and generally improve the situation, to encourage free enterprise and initiative, but reforms alone couldn’t have been the solution to all problems and bring about miracles. National mentality also changed, slowly. People began to understand that quite a lot depended on them. Nobody owes you anything. If you are not happy, don’t complain; put in at least the smallest effort to improve your life. Nobody will do it for you. Those changes in the people’s mentality were even more painful and slow in time, but we’ve managed it.