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Joseph Stalin Quotes

Total quotes: 51
“No great power, even if its government strives towards it, can send out a large army to fight against another allied power, another great power, since in the present day no one can wage war without their own people, and the people don't want to fight. The nations [of the world] are tired of war.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: War, Endless War, War Fatigue, Government
“Owing to pressure from below, the pressure of the masses, the bourgeoisie may sometimes concede certain partial reforms while remaining on the basis of the existing social-economic system. Acting in this way, it calculates that these concessions are necessary in order to preserve its class rule. This is the essence of reform. Revolution, however, means the transference of power from one class to another. That is why it is impossible to describe any reform as revolution.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Class Warfare, Bourgeoisie, Capitalism, Revolution, Power
“Fascism is a reactionary force which is trying to preserve the old system by means of violence. What will you do with the Fascists? Argue with them? Try to convince them?”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Fascism, Reactionary, Violence
“To bring about a revolution a leading revolutionary minority is required; but the most talented, devoted and energetic minority would be helpless if it did not rely upon the at least passive support of millions.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Revolution
“You, Mr. Wells, evidently start out with the assumption that all men are good. I, however, do not forget that there are many wicked men. I do not believe in the goodness of the bourgeoisie.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: HG Wells, Good, Evil, Bourgeoisie
“There is no, nor should there be, irreconcilable contrast between the individual and the collective, between the interests of the individual person and the interests of the collective. There should be no such contrast, because collectivism, Socialism, does not deny, but combines individual interests with the interests of the collective. Socialism cannot abstract itself from individual interests.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Individualism, Collectivism, Socialism
“The capitalist State does not deal much with economy in the strict sense of the word; the latter is not in the hands of the State. On the contrary, the State is in the hands of capitalist economy.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Economics, Capitalism, state
“Without getting rid of the capitalists, without abolishing the principle of private property in the means of production, it is impossible to create planned economy.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Capitalism, Private Property, Planned Economy
“Why will our suffrage be universal? Because all citizens, except those deprived of the franchise by the courts, will have the right to elect and be elected.

Why will our suffrage be equal? Because neither differences in property (which still exist to some extent) nor racial or national affiliation will entail either privilege or disability. Women will enjoy the same rights to elect and be elected as men. Our suffrage will be really equal.

Why secret? Because we want to give Soviet people complete freedom to vote for those they want to elect, for those whom they trust to safeguard their interests.

Why direct? Because direct elections to all representative institutions, right up to the supreme bodies, will best of all safeguard the interests of the toilers of our boundless country. You think that there will be no election contests.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Suffrage, Democracy, elections, USSR
“American democracy and the Soviet system may peacefully exist side by side and compete with each other. But one cannot evolve into the other. The Soviet system will not evolve into American democracy, or vice versa. We can peacefully exist side by side if we do not find fault with each other over every trifling matter.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Democracy, Soviet, USSR, Peaceful Coexistence
“You see, we Marxists believe that a revolution will also take place in other countries. But it will take place only when the revolutionaries in those countries think it possible, or necessary. The export of revolution is nonsense. Every country will make its own revolution if it wants to, and if it does not want to, there will be no revolution. For example, our country wanted to make a revolution and made it, and now we are building a new, classless society.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Marxism, Revolutionary, Classless Society, Interventionism
“Capitalism, in its imperialist phase, is a system which considers war to be a legitimate instrument for settling international disputes, a legal method in fact, if not in law.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Capitalism, Imperialism, War, Law
“Wars are not declared nowadays. They simply start.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: War
“Firstly, it is not true that fascism is only the fighting organisation of the bourgeoisie. Fascism is not only a military-technical category. Fascism is the bourgeoisie’s fighting organization that relies on the active support of Social-Democracy. Social-Democracy is objectively the moderate wing of fascism. There is no ground for assuming that the fighting organization of the bourgeoisie can achieve decisive successes in battles, or in governing the country, without the active support of Social-Democracy. There is just as little ground for thinking that Social-Democracy can achieve decisive successes in battles, or in governing the country, without the active support of the fighting organization of the bourgeoisie. These organizations do not negate, but supplement each other. They are not antipodes, they are twins. Fascism is an informal political bloc of these two chief organizations; a bloc, which arose in the circumstances of the post-war crisis of imperialism, and which is intended for combating the proletarian revolution. The bourgeoisie cannot retain power without such a bloc. It would therefore be a mistake to think that 'pacifism' signifies the liquidation of fascism. In the present situation, 'pacifism' is the strengthening of fascism with its moderate, Social-Democratic wing pushed into the forefront.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Pacifism, Fascism, Democracy
“Either place yourself at the mercy of capital, eke out a wretched existence as of old and sink lower and lower, or adopt a new weapon—this is the alternative imperialism puts before the vast masses of the proletariat. Imperialism brings the working class to revolution.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Imperalism, Capitalism, Working Class, Revolution
“Undoubtedly, our path is not of the easiest; but, just as undoubtedly, we are not to be frightened by difficulties. Paraphrasing from the well-known words of Luther, Russia might say: ‘Here I stand on the frontier between the old, capitalist world and the new, socialist world. Here on this frontier I unite the efforts of the proletarians of the West and of the peasantry of the East in order to shatter the old world. May the god of history be my aid!’”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Martin Luther, History, Socialism, Capitalism, east, West, Struggle
“He can't even shoot straight.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Suicide, Sardonic
“I'm finished. I trust no one, not even myself.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Self-Esteem, Trust, Despair
“The Jews are not a nation!”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Zionism, Jews, Nationalism
“God is on your side? Is He a Conservative? The Devil's on my side, he's a good Communist.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: God, satan, devil, Conservative, Communist
“The idea of a concentration camp is excellent.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Gulags, Concentration Camps
“So the bastard's dead? Too bad we didn't capture him alive!”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Adolf Hitler, Suicide, Revenge
“The Pope! How many divisions has he got?”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Pope, War
“Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Gratitude, sickness, Dogs
“I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this—who will count the votes, and how.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Democracy, Election Fraud
“The writer is the engineer of the human soul.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Writers, Writing, Soul
“One of Ivan the Terrible's mistakes was to overlook the five great feudal families. If he had annihilated those five families, there would definitely have been no Time of Troubles. But Ivan the Terrible would execute someone and then spend a long time repenting and praying. God got in his way in this matter. He ought to have been still more decisive!”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Ivan the Terrible, Time of Troubles, Feudalism, God
“This creature softened my heart of stone. She died and with her died my last warm feelings for humanity.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Sadness, Mourning, humanity
“God's not unjust, he doesn't actually exist. We've been deceived. If God existed, he'd have made the world more just....I'll lend you a book and you'll see.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Darwin, Darwinism, Socialism, Social Darwinism, God, atheism
“This leads to the conclusion, it is time to finish retreating. Not one step back! Such should now be our main slogan.…Henceforth the solid law of discipline for each commander, Red Army soldier, and commissar should be the requirement—not a single step back without order from higher command.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Red Army, Retreat, Discipline, Soldiers
“Hitlers come and go, but Germany and the German people remain.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Hitler, Nazis, Germans, Germany
“Is it possible, then, to doubt that we can and must gain victory over the German invaders? The enemy is not as strong as some terror-stricken pseudo-intellectuals picture him. The devil is not as terrible as he is painted.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Nazis, Hitler, devil
“We must finally understand that of all the precious capital in the world, the most precious capital, the most decisive capital, is human beings....”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Capital, human beings, Capitalism
“I know that the gentlemen in the enemy camp may think of me however they like. I consider it beneath me to try to change the minds of these gentlemen.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Reputation, Self-Esteem
“Anti-Semitism is dangerous for the toilers, for it is a false track which diverts them from the proper road and leads them into the jungle. Hence, Communists, as consistent internationalists, cannot but be irreconcilable and bitter enemies of anti-Semitism. In the U.S.S.R., anti-Semitism is strictly prosecuted as a phenomenon hostile to the Soviet system. According to the laws of the U.S.S.R. active anti-Semites are punished with death.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Anti-Semitism, USSR, Soviet, Communism, Internationalism
“Anti-Semitism, as an extreme form of racial chauvinism, is the most dangerous vestige of cannibalism.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Anti-Semitism, Cannibalism, USSR, Communism
“We do not want a single foot of foreign territory; but of our territory we shall not surrender a single inch to anyone.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Surrender, Territory, War
“True courage consists in being strong enough to master and overcome oneself and subordinate one’s will to the will of the collective, the will of the higher party body.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Courage, Common Goad, Subordination
“If the opposition disarms, all is well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: Disarmament, Military
“What would happen if capital succeeded in smashing the Republic of Soviets? There would set in an era of the blackest reaction in all the capitalist and colonial countries, the working class and the oppressed peoples would be seized by the throat, the positions of international communism would be lost.”
— Joseph Stalin
Tagged: USSR, Capitalism, Communism, Oppression
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