Mao Zedong Quotes - Page 3

Look at World War II, at Hitler's cruelty. The more cruelty, the more enthusiasm for revolution.

Reactionaries must be deprived of the right to voice their opinions; only the people have that right.

The first law of war is to preserve ourselves and destroy the enemy.

People of the world, unite and defeat the U.S. aggressors and all their running dogs!

What is work? Work is struggle. There are difficulties and problems in those places for us to overcome and solve. We go there to work and struggle to overcome these difficulties. A good comrade is one who is more eager to go where the difficulties are greater.

In times of difficulty we must not lose sight of our achievements, must see the bright future and must pluck up our courage.

Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party.

Don't wait untill problems pile up and cause a lot of trouble before trying to solve them. Leaders must march ahead the movement, not lag behind it.

You can't solve a problem? Well, get down and investigate the present facts and [the problem's] past history! When you have investigated the problem thoroughly, you will know how to solve it.

If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself. If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.

Women hold up half the sky.

The spark from a tiny star can ignite the plains.

There may be thousands of principles of Marxism, but in the final analysis they can be summed up in one sentence: Rebellion is justified.

Complacency is the enemy of study. We cannot really learn anything until we rid ourselves of complacency.

To investigate a problem is, indeed, to solve it.

Learn to swim. It is a sport all the peasants can play.

You have never suffered-how can you be a leftist?

Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.

Once all struggles are grasped, miracles are possible.

Dont give a child a fish but show him how to fish

Our enemies are all those in league with imperialism - the warlords, the bureaucrats, the comprador class, the big Landlord class and the reactionary section of the intelligentsia attached to them. The leading force in our revolution is the industrial proletariat. Our closest friends are the entire semi-proletariat and petty bourgeoisie. As for the vacillating middle bourgeoisie, their right wing may become our enemy and their left wing may become our friend - but we must be constantly on our guard and not let them create confusion within our ranks.

Communists must listen attentively to the views of people outside the Party and let them have their say. If what they say is right, we ought to welcome it, and we should learn from their strong points; if it is wrong, we should let them finish what they are saying and then patiently explain things to them.

Communists must never separate themselves from the majority of the people or neglect them by leading only a few progressive contingents in an isolated and rash advance, but must take care to forge close links between the progressive elements and the broad masses. This is what thinking in terms of the majority means.

When guerillas engage a stronger enemy, they withdraw when he advances, harass him when he stops, strike him when he is weary, pursue him when he withdraws.

Weapons are an important factor in war, but not the decisive one; it is man and not materials that counts.