Vladimir Bibikhin

The most significant distinction among people lies not in wealth and poverty, not in talent and lack thereof, not in power and submission, but in the fact that some choose not to engage in conversation with others, instead relying on the darkness of those around them to illuminate their own path.

Vladimir Bibikhin (1938–2004) was a Russian philosopher, translator, and interpreter of Heidegger. His lectures at the philosophical faculty of Moscow State University in the 1980s and ’90s attracted many listeners and transformed the venue into a pilgrimage site.