It took the book’s young editors, Anton Volodin and Makar Vikhlyantsev, five months to comb through 150 of Putin’s speeches and interviews. They wanted to publish the book, titled Words That Change the World, the Times reports, “so that every senior official or important politician could have Mr. Putin’s most important pronouncements readily at hand.”

When Putin’s deputy chief of staff received a copy, he bought up the entire first print run of 1500 copies to give out as presents for the holidays. Here are some highlights:

On terrorists

“We will waste them in the outhouse.”

On drinking

“I drink kefir.”

On foreign policy

“No one feels safe!”