100 phrases about communism and the class struggle
In this article you will find a selection of phrases about communism that will help you understand this ideological perspective linked to politics.
But first, it is important to understand some basic ideas about this movement.
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The labor movement and Marxism
The ideology of communism is one of the political theories that has survived from its birth to the present day. Totalitarianisms, absolutisms, military regimes, authoritarianisms, utopias and other types of concepts of power or governance have disappeared. But communism has managed to maintain its impact (passively and actively) within the political arena.
The foundations of communism were developed by the German thinkers and philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels during the last years of the XIX century. The works of "Communist Manifesto" or "The Capital" they completed this project.
This political, social and economic ideology promotes the formation of a society without class distinctions, without rich or poor, and ultimately seeks to achieve the abolition of the State.
On the other hand, the class struggle consists of advocating to get to socialize (share) the means of production, which are the necessary tools to produce. In other words, private property would not exist, which would lead the working class to hold power without masters to control or exploit them.
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100 phrases about communism
We'll see now some of the most relevant phrases about communism and the class struggle of history. Some draw directly from Marxism, while others are inspired by similar sources such as the old socialist tradition or the collectivizing one.
1. Communists have always played an active role in the fight for the freedom of the colonial territories (Nelson Mandela)
This leader in the struggle against apartheid had been a Marxist sympathizer from his youth.
2. They rule today, because you obey! (TO. Camus)
A way to denounce the unconsciousness of the workers when obeying orders.
3. To the violence that comes from above, violence from below! (Helder Camara)
Thus, the armed struggle is legitimized and a change begins through violent means
4. For the classless society, go ahead with the teacher strike (Emile Henry)
Emile Henry supported in this way the legitimacy of stopping production to claim civil rights.
5. There are no innocent bourgeois, gentlemen (Emile Henry)
It was one of the goals of the class struggle: to eliminate the ruling class. That is, the bourgeoisie.
6. Revolutions fail when power is handed over to the "new government" (Ricardo Flores)
A change has to come when the people in their collectivity rule, not through representation.
7. Exercising power corrupts; submit to power degrades (Mikhail Bakunin)
One of the great anarchist thinkers explained what it takes to submit to the state.
8. Is it good to be good? (Oscar Wilde)
A way of wanting to legitimize the use of force to establish socialism.
9. Power programs life, freedom orders it and gives it meaning (Lucas)
This is how this communist activist denounced the abuse of power by the State and the institutions.
10. One more small slaughter and humanity will march much better (Jean Rostand)
Jean Rostand was resounding in asserting in this way the need for armed struggle.
11. The utopian lights some stars in the sky of human dignity, but he sails in a sea without ports. (C. Berneri)
One way of saying that communism has no borders.
12. To be governed is to be observed, spied on, regulated, numbered, directed... (Pierre J. Proudhon)
This renowned French author and revolutionary saw in the State an enemy
13. Neither democracy nor oligarchy (William Hamilton)
Some communists repudiated democracy, since they considered it the silent weapon of the privileged classes.
14. He is looking for the impossible that man has achieved the possible (Mikhail Bakunin)
Mikhail Bakunin is one of the most important authors in the class struggle, and with this phrase he sought to motivate his audience.
15. The big ones are big because we are on our knees (Max Stirner)
Max Stirner thus denounced the little commitment that there was among the working classes to rise up against the oppressor.
16. We do not belong to any party, because none can embody our purpose (Herbert Read)
Some communists of the most radical thought, they did not believe in institutions or instruments of representation.
17. Under a government that unjustly imprisons, the fairest place to be is jail (H.D. Thoreau)
Thoreau thus expressed his discomfort with the institutions that "represented the people."
18. Marxism: freedom of thought (Iosif Stalin)
The Russian president was very clear about the definition of him with communist thought.
19. Behind every great fortune, lies a great crime (H. Balzac)
The well-known French novelist illustrated in this way what the noble classes really were for him.
20. The man who works has no time to dream, Long live the general strike! (Chief Smohalla)
Chief of an Indo-American tribe, he was against the exploitation of the worker and thus called a general strike.
21. If you don't live as you think, you will end up thinking how you live (M. Gandhi)
Known is Mahatma Gandhi for his idealism and fights against the oppression of the intellect.
22. Every human being with an identity card is an object (Morin)
This is how Morin criticized his dissatisfaction with the way governments control citizens and thus be able to subdue them.
23. If hunger is law, looting is justice (Piotr Trotsky)
Piotr Trotsky was also known for his communist radicalism, and thus defended the right to theft.
24. A moment of true life is worth more than a whole life in silence (Mikhail Bakunin)
With this emotional phrase Mikhail Bakunin encouraged the revolution against the ruling class.
25. We have no other possibility than the impossible (George Bataille)
This is how this French thinker described the ability of man to bring about true socialist change.
26. Anarchists are liberals, but more liberal than liberals. We are also socialists, but more socialists than socialists (Nicolas Walter)
Nicolas Walter was a fervent defender of the abolition of the State and Capitalism.
27. Living with dignity is love and freedom (Loelander Tribe)
It was not all financial and freedom of thought in Loelander Tribe's mind.
28. Your supervisor or foreman gives you more orders in a week than a policeman in a decade (Bob Black)
In this way Bob Black tried to awaken the conscience of the worker in front of his masters.
29. Capitalism is not freedom. He robs you and makes you a slave to wages (Alexander Berkman)
Alexander Berkman was a Lithuanian anarchist who explained capitalism's deception through wages
30. Since I was born, everything belonged to someone or someone! (Facundo Cabral)
This Argentine poet and singer-songwriter, thus reflected on the prevailing political-economic system.
31. Blessed be chaos, it is a symptom of freedom (Enrique Galvan)
Spanish politician and sociologist, he thus defended anarchist theories.
32. Freedom does not make men happy, it simply makes them men (Manuel Azaña)
President of the Second Spanish Republic, Manuel Azaña described what socialism meant to him.
33. Your heart is free, have the courage to pay attention to it (William Wallace)
The great Scottish warrior recited this phrase before the open field confrontation with the English army.
34. Nothing is freer than the human imagination (Hume)
The philosopher David Hume gave free rein to freedom of thought.
35. Even if I disagree with you, I will defend to the death who can say it (Voltaire)
Françoise-Marie was a pioneer in defending at all costs the right to freedom of expression and thought.
36. The rulers are nothing other than the watchdogs of capitalism (Ricardo Flores Magón)
This Mexican politician and communist described what the government was like for him.
37. Searching and finding the truth is the most beautiful of companies (Herberto Castillo)
Another renowned Mexican politician, thinker and socialist who fought for the goodwill of democratic institutions.
38. When the poor believe in the poor, we can sing freedom and fraternity (Hugo Chávez)
The Venezuelan president snapped at the working classes in believing in his cause.
39. Justice cannot be practiced in a place where human dignity is ignored (José M. Arrizmendiarreta)
This Spanish thinker and philosopher criticized with this phrase the little legitimacy that governments had for him.
40. Give education to children and it will not be necessary to punish men (Pythagoras)
The most successful mathematician of all time he thus defended the need to educate society.
41. We are soldiers so that one day no one else has to be a soldier (Subcomandante Marcos)
Rafael Sebastián is his real name, a Mexican guerrilla who defended in this way the armed struggle to end class distinction.
42. Be capable of feeling deeply any injustice committed against any human being (Ché Guevara)
The most famous communist revolutionary of the 20th century believed in collective sentiment to raise awareness among the masses.
43. An eye for an eye, and the world will end up blind (M. Gandhi)
We return to the Indian activist who rose up peacefully against the English empire. He did not believe in violence and his fight was based on this pillar.
44. The dreamer can be killed, but the dream cannot be killed (D. Abernathy)
People die, ideas don't. That was how resounding it was black rights activist Ralph D. Abernathy.
45. Brute force is the full right of fools (Cicero)
Marco Julio Cicero was a politician, thinker and orator of the Roman Republic, and in this way he denounced the use of force to impose ideologies.
46. All men are brothers (M. Gandhi)
Mahatma Gandhi had this fraternal and altruistic way of looking at society.
47. The world is fucked up, re fucked up, but full of compatriots (Eduardo Galeano)
Eduardo Galeano had high hopes for a better future to end capitalism.
48. Let the rich pay for the crisis, not the poor (Karl Marx)
A phrase that is repeated even today and in times of crisis.
49. Everyone wants freedom, but few know why (Lenin)
Vladimir Lenin was another Bolshevik revolutionary that he started in his footsteps with communist thoughts and theories. This is how he denounced the lack of collective conscience.
50. Although it sounds ridiculous, the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love (Ché Guevara)
Ché Guevara was not only a warrior, he also had passion to his credit.
51. Exposing the oppressed to the truth is exposing them to start a revolution (Leon Trotsky)
Another character from the radical wing in the class struggle. Trotsky thus reflected the fear that the ruling classes have with the workers' struggle.
52. Not even the dead can rest in an oppressed country (Fidel Castro)
The Cuban president and revolutionary thus expressed his sentiment in the struggle for the independence of the oppressed peoples.
53. You cannot start a revolution with silk gloves on your hands (Iosif Stalin)
Iosif Stalin was known for his military mind and use of force to implement the communist revolution.
54. First you have to assemble the head, then the hands (Máximo Gorki)
Communist revolutionary writer and politician, he attached great importance to education and culture for independent thought.
55. The worker needs respect more than bread (Karl Marx)
For Marx, above money is human dignity.
56. If we were able to unite, how beautiful and near would the future be (Ché Guevara)
At times the feeling of union between the communist movements wavered.
57. Before a camel will pass through the eye of a needle, than a rich man in the Kingdom of Heaven (Jesus of Nazareth)
Some interpret in divinity, the legitimacy with which socialism had to enjoy.
58. Communism is not love, it is a mace that we use to crush the enemy (Mao Tse Tung)
The top leader of the Communist Party in China, Mao also believed in armed struggle.
59. I have always been an admirer of Jesus Christ because he was the first communist: he multiplied the loaves and fishes, and that is what we intend to do (Fidel Castro)
Returning to the heavenly reference, Fidel Castro thus expressed his admiration for the highest representative of Christianity.
60. If you wait by the river long enough, you will see how the current carries the bodies of all your enemies (Ho Chi Minh)
Ho Chi Min was the Vietnamese communist revolutionary, and withstood the American onslaught in the Vietnam War.
61. I see a little light of hope that had long since disappeared (Rafael Martínez)
Chilean thinker and writer, he thus expressed his illusion with the end of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
62. I do not intend to hold office for 100 years (Fidel Castro)
This is how Fidel Castro expressed his long-term political intentions.
63. Under Capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, quite the opposite (John Galbraith)
Canadian economist, he was a staunch defender of socialism as an economic model.
64. Only under Communism will the individual lead his own destiny (Johann Most)
This is how the German thinker defended the establishment of a system contrary to capitalism.
65. Communism does not quite work because people like to buy things (Frank Zappa)
American film director, Frank Zappa made this criticism of the thinking of the masses and referred to the reasons why he understood that communism had failed.
66. Communism should mean only one thing: ending private property (Karl Marx)
For Karl Marx, abolishing private property was an irreducible condition.
67. Communism is the exploitation of the weak towards the strong (Proudhon)
Proudhon spoke like this about what communism was after.
68. He learns from the masses, and then show them the way (Mao Tse Tung)
Mao also pointed out theimportance to education and culture.
69. Our voice is independent and represents our dignity in the face of imperialism (Hugo Chávez)
Hugo Chávez Frías was another leader opposed to the capitalist system.
70. People pay for their own subordination (Noam Chomsky)
This researcher talks about the paradox of obedience: sacrificially maintaining a model of relationships that oppresses the citizen.
71. If you teach the same as 5 years ago, it is that your theories are dead. Or are you (Noam Chomsky)
This is how Noam Chomsky denounced the need for regeneration of ideas.
72. There is only one way to eliminate serious evils: the establishment of a socialist economy (Albert Einstein)
Einstein came to write in favor of socialism, and proposed the creation of a political model based on the planned economy.
73. War is peace. Freedom is slavery (George Orwell)
The Writer George Orwell thus surprised with these statements, seeing in the freedom of the Western world a deliberate deception.
74. Anarchy is not disorder, but order, not of power, but of freedom, equality and fraternity (Piotr Kropotkin)
Piotr Kropotkin was another anarchist revolutionary, and in this way defended his ideologies.
75. Peace for men, war for institutions (Lenin)
This is how Lenin justified the war against governments, understood as a source of oppression.
76. Behind all crime there is always some institution (H. Balzac)
Balzac thus criticized the existence of institutions and the existence of the State.
77. 10 armed men of justice are worth more than 1000 soldiers in the pay of a King (William Wallace)
Thus the Scottish warrior emboldened his small army to fight the English.
78. Our communism is not that of the German authoritarian theorists. Our communism is anarchist, without government, that of the free man (Piotr Kropotkin)
Piotr Kropotkin thus differentiated between Marxist communism and anarchism.
79. In a revolution you win or you die, if it is true (Ché Guevara)
One of the mottos of Ché Guevara.
80. The value of a community represents its accumulated work (Karl Marx)
Karl Marx had a deep-rooted collective feeling.
81. Communism has to be free like love, that is, it has to be an anarchist or not exist (Librado Rivera)
Another communist politician who he fought during the Mexican Revolution of the 20th century.
82. Socialism has been made for the whole man (Ché Guevara)
This is how the Cuban warrior defended the socialist ideology.
83. Capitalism is indefensible; socialism, with all its errors, is the noblest thing that man could do (Fidel Castro)
Fidel Castro explained the differences between the two systems in this way.
84. Either we take the path of socialism or the world ends (Hugo Chávez)
This is how forceful the Venezuelan president was to make the people aware of him.
85. Now we will proceed to the construction of the socialist order (Lenin)
Lenin showed conviction and courage from exile with the communist cause.
86. Socialism means justice and equality, but equal rights and opportunities, not income (Raúl Castro)
Brother of the former president of Cuba Fidel, he followed the same steps and thus explained his inclination for communism.
87. The organization is fine, but the control is even better (Lenin)
Lenin advocated the assault on power, not just protesting against it.
88. One of the fundamental objectives of communism is to eliminate individual interest (Ché Guevara)
Along the same lines as Karl Marx, Ché explained why it was so important that communism triumph.
89. Socialism is the only way that peoples have to achieve a profound change in their living conditions (Carlos Fonseca)
Spanish writer, Carlos Fonseca is an activist and socialist of the contemporary era.
90. The class struggle and the struggle for the means of production are the pillars to build a powerful socialist country (Mao Tse Tung)
In this way, the Chinese leader laid out the bases for the construction of a socialist country.
91. If we lose sight of the class struggle, it shows the misunderstanding of Marxism (Lenin)
Vladimir Lenin was very clear that the class struggle was essential to consolidate the communist revolution.
92. The social process will not disappear because a leader disappears (Salvador Allende)
This is how the former Chilean president expressed his hope shortly before he was assassinated for his ideas after the Pinochet coup.
93. Socialism means a leap from the realm of necessity to that of freedom (Leon Trotsky)
Leon Trotsky offered this reflection, superimposing freedom over material needs.
94. The distinction between North and South is nothing more than another weapon to enslave the peoples (Hugo Chávez)
Hugo Chávez reflected in this way the great problem of geographically distinguishing countries and political maps.
95. We call it justice but it is really love! (Leon Felipe)
It is not only a political movement, it is also a sentiment.
96. Socialists do not die: socialists sow themselves (Pablo Iglesias)
Founder of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Pablo Iglesias thus defended the socialist ideology.
97. Political freedom without economic equality is a claim, a fraud, a lie. The worker does not want more lies (Mikhail Bakunin)
Mikhail Bakunin insisted on control by the means of production, it was not enough to achieve political freedom.
98. Socialism cannot triumph in one country (Russia). It has to triumph throughout Europe and the US (Leon Trotsky)
The Russian thinker saw the need to expand the struggle to all continents.
99. Socialism or barbarism (Rosa Luxemburg)
That's how blunt Rosa Luxemburg was in front of the microphones during a press conference. She was a theorist and a member of the German Social Democratic Party during the 19th century.
100. What a socialist seeks is that no one is so rich as to bring another to his knees and no one is so poor as to have to kneel before another (Alfonso Guerra)
Spanish politician during the transition, and ultimately president of Spain, thus defended the need to establish a socialist model after 40 years of military dictatorship.