Quote by Mikhail Bulgakov: “Cowardice is the most terrible of vices.”

This powerful statement condemns cowardice as the ultimate moral failing. It suggests that a lack of courage, particularly in the face of injustice or evil, is more destructive than any other fault, leading to complicity and the perpetuation of harm.

This theme is central to "The Master and Margarita," especially in the Pontius Pilate narrative, where Pilate's cowardice leads to his eternal torment and Jesus's crucifixion. It's a critique of moral failings under totalitarianism.

Russian playwright and novelist whose satirical masterpiece The Master and Margarita was written in secret under Stalin's rule and not published until 1966, twenty-six years after his death. He burned an early draft of the manuscript himself, then rewrote it — the novel became one of the most celebrated works of Russian literature.