Mao Zedong also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which he ruled as the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist, his theories, military strategies, and political policies are collectively known as Maoism. These Mao Zedong quotes will inspire you.
Best Mao Zedong Quotes
- “All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “When there is not enough to eat, people starve to death. It is better to let half of the people die so that the other half can eat their fill.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Deaths have benefits. They can fertilize the ground.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “The young people are the most active and vital force in society. They are the most eager to learn and the least conservative in their thinking. This is especially so in the era of socialism.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy.” ~ Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong quotes on communism
- “A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery. It cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “People say that poverty is bad, but in fact poverty is good. The poorer people are, the more revolutionary they are. It is dreadful to imagine a time when everyone will be rich… From a surplus of calories people will have two heads and four legs.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Don’t make a fuss about a world war. At most, people die… Half the population wiped out – this happened quite a few times in Chinese history… It’s best if half the population is left, next best one-third.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“To read too many books is harmful.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “We should support whatever the enemy opposes and oppose whatever the enemy supports” ~ Mao Zedong
- “The weeds of socialism are better than the crops of capitalism.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “People who try to commit suicide – don’t attempt to save them! . . . China is such a populous nation, it is not as if we cannot do without a few people.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Many who have read Marxist books have become renegades from the revolution, whereas illiterate workers often grasp Marxism very well.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“Morality begins at the point of a gun.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “When the enemy advances, withdraw; when he stops, harass; when he tires, strike; when he retreats, pursue.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “The people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Let’s contemplate this, how many people would die if war breaks out. There are 2.7 billion people in the world. One-third could be lost; or, a little more, it could be half… I say that taking the extreme situation, half dies, half-lives, but imperialism would be razed to the ground and the whole world would become socialist.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “It’s always darkest before it becomes totally black.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Not to have a correct political point of view is like having no soul.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “You have never suffered-how can you be a leftist?” ~ Mao Zedong
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“All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “People of the world, unite and defeat the U.S. aggressors and all their running dogs!” ~ Mao Zedong
- “We are indebted to Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin for giving us a weapon. The weapon is not a machine-gun, but Marxism-Leninism.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “We Communists are like seeds and the people are like the soil. Wherever we go, we must unite with the people, take root and blossom among them.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “That has less significance than a dog’s fart.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “There may be thousands of principles of Marxism, but in the final analysis they can be summed up in one sentence: Rebellion is justified.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “In the final analysis, national struggle is a matter of class struggle. Among the whites in the United States, it is only the reactionary ruling circles that oppress the black people. They can in no way represent the workers, farmers, revolutionary intellectuals and other enlightened persons who comprise the overwhelming majority of the white people.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“In time of difficulties, we must not lose sight of our achievements.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “There is great disorder in the heavens, and the situation is excellent.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Civilize the mind but make savage the body.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “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.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Communism has nothing to do with love. Communism is an excellent hammer which we use to destroy our enemy.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“Maybe you’re afraid of sinking. Don’t think about it. If you don’t think about it, you won’t sink. If you do, you will.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “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.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “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.” ~ Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong quotes on experience
- “As for the imperialist countries, we should unite with their peoples and strive to coexist peacefully with those countries, do business with them and prevent any possible war, but under no circumstances should we harbour any unrealistic notions about them.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Enable every woman who can work to take her place on the labour front, under the principle of equal pay for equal work.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This is a question of the first importance for the revolution.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “To Be Attacked by the Enemy Is Not a Bad Thing but a Good Thing.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “In waking a tiger, use a long stick.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “The world is progressing, the future is bright and no one can change this general trend of history. We should carry on constant propaganda among the people on the facts of world progress and the bright future ahead so that they will build their confidence in victory.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “What is basic guerilla strategy? Guerilla strategy must be based primarily on alertness, mobility, and attack. It must be adjusted to the enemy situation, the terrain, the existing lines of communication, the relative strengths, the weather, and the situation of the people.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “…the evil system of colonialism and imperialism arose and throve with the enslavement of Negroes and the trade in Negroes, and it will surely come to its end with the complete emancipation of the Black people.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “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.” ~ Mao Zedong quotes
- “It will take a long period to decide the issue in the ideological struggle between socialism and capitalism in our country. The reason is that the influence of the bourgeoisie and of the intellectuals who come from the old society will remain in our country for a long time to come, and so will their class ideology. If this is not sufficiently understood, or is not understood at all, the gravest mistakes will be made and the necessity of waging the struggle in the ideological field will be ignored.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Revolution is a drama of passion. We did not win the people over by appealing to reason but by developing hope, trust, fraternity.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Be resolute, fear no sacrifice, and surmount every difficulty to win victory.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “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.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “The theory of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin is universally applicable. We should regard it not as a dogma, but as a guide to action. Studying it is not merely a matter of learning terms and phrases but of learning Marxism-Leninism as the science of revolution. It is not just a matter of understanding the general laws derived by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin from their extensive study of real-life and revolutionary experience, but of studying their standpoint and method in examining and solving problems.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“The first law of war is to preserve ourselves and destroy the enemy.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “We must have faith, first, that the peasant masses are ready to advance step by step along the road of socialism under the leadership of the Party, and second, that the Party is capable of leading the peasants along this road. These two points are the essence of the matter, the main current.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “At no time and in no circumstances should a Communist place his personal interests first; he should subordinate them to the interests of the nation and of the masses. Hence, selfishness, slacking, corruption, seeking the limelight, and so on, are most contemptible, while selflessness, working with all one’s energy, whole-hearted devotion to public duty, and quiet hard work will command respect.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“War can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “The socialist system will eventually replace the capitalist system; this is an objective law independent of man’s will. However much the reactionaries try to hold back the wheel of history, eventually revolution will take place and will inevitably triumph.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “The state machine, including the army, the police and the courts, is the instrument with which one class oppresses another. It is an instrument of oppression against all hostile classes; it means violence and is certainly not anything ‘benevolent.’ ‘You are merciless.’ Quite so. We definitely do not adopt a benevolent policy towards the reactionary activities of the reactionaries and the reactionary classes.” ~ Mao Zedong
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“Despise Your enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically” ~ Mao Zedong
- “We must help all our young people to understand that ours is still a very poor country, that we cannot change this situation radically in a short time, and that only through the united efforts of our younger generation and all our people, working with their own hands, can China be made strong and prosperous within a period of several decades. The establishment of our socialist system has opened the road leading to the ideal society of the future, but to translate this ideal into reality needs hard work.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “Communists must be ready at all times to stand up for the truth, because truth is in the interests of the people; Communists must be ready at all times to correct their mistakes, because mistakes are against the interests of the people.” ~ Mao Zedong
- “I voted for you during your last election.” ~ Mao Zedong
