He displayed much wit and keen observation.

In all, he produced nine satires, four being written during his sojourn abroad.

In Satire Second, entitled, "Filaret and Evgeny," or "On the Envy and Pride of Cantankerous Nobles," he describes the arrogance of the nobility, and their pretensions to the highest posts, without any personal exertion or merit, solely on the merits of their ancestors; and here he appears as a zealous advocate of Peter the Great's "Table of Ranks," intended to put a stop to precisely this state of affairs, by making rank depend on personal services to the state.

The Third and Sixth Satires are curious in that they clearly express the author's views on his own literary activity, and also on society and literature in general.

The Sixth Satire, written in 1738, is the most important, as showing Kantemir's own nature, both as a man and as a writer.
One of the men most in sympathy with Peter the Great was Vasily Nikititch Tatishtcheff (1686-1750), who was educated partly in Russia, partly abroad.