Quote of the day by Pavel Durov: 'My success and health come from 20+ years of abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, pills, and illegal drugs'

Quote of the day by Pavel Durov. Pavel Durov is a Russian-born technology entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and chief executive officer of Telegram, a globally popular cloud-based messaging app. Born in Saint Petersburg in 1984, Durov first achieved widespread fame after launching VKontakte, often called VK, in 2006. Built as a local equivalent to Facebook, VK quickly grew into the largest social networking platform in the Russian-speaking world.Durov is known for advocating for a drug-free life, and in his many interviews, he listed the seven things that one should avoid to have mental clarity. In 2025, he wrote about it on X: If you want to reach your full potential and maintain clarity of mind, stay away from addictive substances. My success and health come from 20+ years of abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, pills, and illegal drugs. Short-term pleasure isn’t worth your future. The other two things that he avoids are farm meat and social media.How did Pavel Durov start Telegram?Durov’s career has been defined by a fierce commitment to digital privacy, free expression, and resistance to state censorship. His refusal to comply with Russian government demands to han...