Sometimes, to make life longer and easier, you just need to take one thing away from it.

And it’s not about switching to broccoli or giving up sugar.

One of the most famous doctors in the USSR, an academician and cardiologist, commonly known as “Doctor Chazov,” lived 92 years. And he lived them sincerely. Without eternally lamenting life. Without long illnesses. Without succumbing to fatigue.

He met people with diverse hearts, both literally and figuratively. From ordinary villagers to state leaders. He was the “Kremlin doctor,” but he always insisted that healing meant serving all beings, not just the elect.

And the most amazing thing is that Chazov’s advice is still passed down in hushed tones today, like a family recipe passed down by a grandmother to her grandchildren. He didn’t like loud slogans. He spoke simply:

“Do not live for appearances, but according to your conscience. And your heart will reward you with gratitude.”

“My mother saved me. And more than once.”

When asked about the secret to longevity, Chazov didn’t mention superfoods, Pilates, or Nordic walking. He remembered his mother.

She was a doctor. A Komsomol member in the Urals. During the Civil War, she was almost shot. The bullet went through her heart. She survived, and it was as if an inner music had settled inside her, which she later passed on to me.

This inner music—gentle, courageous, true—became his guide in life. His mother taught him gentleness, non-envy, non-revenge. And above all, to remember his inner truth:

“If you’re wrong, admit it. Correct yourself. And if you’re right, stick with it.”

Simple words, but such power! Chazov often said that his ability to forgive had prolonged his life. He remembered how some of his students had undermined him, walked over corpses… and he had simply kept going. Without bitterness.

After their wickedness, they didn’t get what they wanted. Illness, alcohol, and failure caught up with them. And I went my own way.

And there was no jubilation in these words, but the sadness of a wise man who has seen much, lived much, but retained his humanity.