Yevgeny Zamyatin — We [99]

Let my notes, like the most sensitive seismograph, record the curve of even the most insignificant vibrations of my brain: for it is precisely such vibrations that are sometimes the forewarning of… — Yevgeny Zamyatin, We, 99

Note

The seismograph metaphor links the diary form to scientific measurement while betraying the protagonist’s unconscious terror beneath his rational facade.