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Before attempting to create something new, it is vital to have a good appreciation of everything that already exists in this field.

— Mikhail Kalashnikov

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More quotes by Mikhail Kalashnikov

I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence.

Blame the Nazi Germans for making me become a gun designer … I always wanted to construct agriculture machinery.

I'm proud of my invention, but I'm sad that it is used by terrorists. … I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work — for example a lawnmower.

Whenever I look at TV and I see the weapon I invented to defend my motherland in the hands of these bin Ladens, I ask myself the same question: "How did it get into their hands?" I didn't put it in the hands of bandits and terrorists, and it's not my fault that it has mushroomed uncontrollably across the globe. Can I be blamed that they consider it the most reliable weapon?

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Mikhail Kalashnikov (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.