"We wanted the best, but it turned out as always."

-- Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian prime minister, 1992-1998; now, a billionaire oligarch

Found in a recent review of "House of Meetings", by Martin Amis:

Chernomyrdin was referring to a disastrous episode in the Kremlin's attempts at economic reform that he oversaw in the early 1990s, and his statement has become a popular sardonic proverb among Russians.

See also:

Not every country can count on its prime ministers for comic relief.
But then again, not every country is Russia.

And on page 386 of Black Earth: A Journey Through Russia After the Fall, By Andrew Meier.