Salvation through Quality

Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin (28.03.1883-21.12.1954) was a Russian philosopher, jurist, literary critic, and publicist.

Russian Bell Magazine, 1928.

We trust and are confident that the hour will come when Russia will rise from disintegration and humiliation and begin an epoch of new development and greatness. But it will revive and blossom only after Russian people understand that they have to search for salvation in quality. Scrutinize the history of Russia, the fate of its people, ponder upon its wreck and humiliation and you will see, that all its basic difficulties came from an over-emphasis on volume and quantity. Throughout the centuries all our troubles, all our risks came from a destiny imposed on us by a seemingly inexhaustible abundance - an abundance of space, tribes and people. We did not take the time to develop this abundance, to seize it, to convert it from its latent force into completion as a qualitative blossoming. We did not seek this abundance; it was imposed on us, pressed on us in every way: by threats and danger, fire and sword, captivity and famine. Throughout its history Russia has choked in this struggle against volume and quantity: beginning from the southern steppes and finishing in the northern forest; beginning from the Mongolian invasions and finishing on an unknown front in our last war; beginning from one hundred sixty diverse tribes with unique dialects and finishing as today’s migratory rural lifestyle. Russia could exist, only grasping, engaging this abundance, allocating its power to grow this abundance, becoming overstrained by scattering its energy; removing one trouble only to meet another that was already knocking on the gate. We were eternally late, lagging behind our neighbors. That is why we were always not ready and relied on "possibilities" and “cities stood without walls, unprotected – and perhaps they will survive.” That is why we never could predict all possible dangers and have become accustomed to being consoled by soothing words and careless "possibilities." That is why we always had no time for quality: but we had time for "somehow," and "good to be alive.”

Until now the Russian soul has not yet understood or comprehended, what temptation, what poison it has absorbed in herself together from this idea of volume and infinite abundance without quality. We have not yet learned that "plenty" and "acceptable" - does not mean good; that "freedom to do as you please" and "without limits" – does not mean the same, as true freedom; that the person with a "generous" and "strong" character can be malicious and harmful; that it is not possible to forgive all to a person only because he is "generous" and "has courage"... For whom and when it was possible for us "cast the first stone"? And why do we always “make the sign of the cross” only after the thunder bursts? Somewhere deeply in the soul of Russian people lives the vague, but firm confidence, that quality "is not necessary;" that quality is "an overseas invention;" that with "our" abundance and "our" talent, without science, without diligence, without skill, and without experience “in own way can manage" and the result will be even better. That is why we resolved our farming problem quantitatively where we seek to obtain "more" while another obtains “less."

Yes, in our recent history we did not have not enough time or force focused on quality; on the quiet and concentrated culture; on cultivation and creative registration of our natural talent; on education and strengthening of national character; on creation of the intensive, technically perfect agriculture and crafts; on improvement of political and organization life. And consequently almost everything, that we created, we didn’t create it using our culture, but using our primitive, natural talent. Whereas western European often made much of small gifts; Russia turned even big gifts and great natural endowments into ashes.

We had begun to cultivate Russian quality, our sincere and natural gifts, strictly speaking, only in the nineteenth century. One hundred years ... we had only just begun; we had hardly started understanding and collecting our treasures, which we had hurriedly created; we only had time to initiate and begin to speak. We did not learn to appreciate quality, yet without comprehending the calling or spiritual forces, we have created greatness - in literature, music, painting, and knowledge; we have started to create excellence in technology, industry, and in life; and in this moment, not being able to appreciate these achievements, we hastened into nihilism and renounced these developments through Tolstoy’s ideas and the revolution.

Investigate the destiny of Russia; ponder upon its wreck and humiliation and you will understand that to Russian people there is only one outcome and one salvation - returning to quality and its culture. Because quantitative ways were pursued, suffered and then exposed, now the quantitative illusions that were observed before our eyes are disintegrated in the end.

It is necessary to release the qualitative forces of Russian creatively!

Today, Russia primarily requires true faithfulness.

What can be built with untruthful and bribing hands? Russia will starve without knowing and efficient people in every type of field: from accounting to medicine, from agriculture to education.

Russia requires both will and talent. These cannot be replaced with anything because talent creates new things, and will builds and holds the life of a nation.

Give way to honesty! Give way to knowledge and talent! Give way to Russian genius!

Quality is necessary for Russia: for us to be a true, strong-willed, knowledgeable and gifted people; with strong and flexible organizations; strained from honest work; developing world class products; with a high standard of living. A new, quality epoch is necessary for Russia, an epoch that would complete everything we missed during past congestion and carelessness and that would cure, healing all the ulcers of our revolutionary time. This epoch approaches and will arrive from this promise — the natural talent and spiritual genius of Russian people. To trust in Russian national revival means to trust in the future victory of quality: a victory of faithfulness above treachery, knowledge above ignorance, work above plunder, will above infatuation, to trust in a victory of divine forces of the person above evil.

To prepare for the restoration of Russia – means that first of all we must prepare ourselves for quality service to our native land; prepare our character, reason, and feelings with a strong-will idea. This idea is “Russian Quality.” We are all convinced that a time will come when Russia arises from disintegration and humiliation and begins an epoch of renewed greatness. This new epoch will be characterized by its atmosphere of this strong-willed idea – Russian Quality.

*Translator’s Note:
This original article was written in archaic Russian and many of the analogies and phrases that it uses appear obscure according to modern language standards. Effort in this translation has been made to preserve original meaning while presenting the essay as closely as possible to its original context.