Lenin’s Wisdom and Creative Marxism:  Lenin’s Most Important 33 Quotes

Prof. Gladys Hernández Herrera, Marxist Philosophy Department, Havana University, 2025-01-25

Translator: Ali Elik

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) was a great Russian proletarian revolutionary and thinker. Lenin led the October Revolution in Russia, overthrew the Tsarist rule, and established the world’s first socialist country. He studied Marxist theory in depth, and combined with the actual situation in Russia, he put forward the proposition that “socialism may first triumph in a few or even a single capitalist country”, and developed Marxism.

During the revolution, Lenin formed the Bolshevik Party and actively organized workers’ movements and armed uprisings. After the victory of the revolution, he led the new regime to carry out a series of constructions such as land reform and nationalization, responded to the threats of enemies at home and abroad, and was committed to consolidating the new Soviet regime. He had a profound impact on the development of world history. His thoughts and practices provided valuable reference examples for many socialist countries later. The following are some of Lenin’s classic words and their interpretations:

1. “He who does not know how to rest, does not know how to work.”

○ Interpretation: It emphasizes the importance of rest for work. Only by knowing how to rest properly can we restore our energy and devote ourselves to work better. It reflects the wisdom of looking at the relationship between work and rest dialectically.

2. “Politics is the struggle between classes; politics is the relationship between the proletariat and the world bourgeoisie in their struggle for emancipation.”

○ Explanation: It clearly points out that the essence of politics is class struggle. In the context of the proletariat, politics is the struggle relationship that the proletariat conducts to liberate itself from the oppression of the bourgeoisie. This is an explanation of the Marxist political view.

3. “Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement.”

○ Explanation: Theory plays a fundamental guiding role in the revolutionary movement. Correct revolutionary theory can guide people to understand the goals, direction, methods, etc. of the revolution, and is the prerequisite for the development of the revolutionary movement.

4. “Truth becomes error by taking just one more small step, seemingly one step in the same direction.”

○ Explanation: It means that truth is relative. Anything is true within a certain degree. If it exceeds this degree, even if it is just a small step, it may go wrong. It reminds people to grasp the boundaries of things.

5. “Better to have less, but better.”

○ Explanation: In matters such as socialist construction, the importance of quality is emphasized, and it is better to achieve fewer but high-quality, stable and reliable results rather than pursue quantity and ignore quality.

6. “Judge a man not by what he says or what he thinks of himself, but by his actions.”

○ Interpretation: It reflects a pragmatic standard for evaluating people. A person’s true character should be judged by his actual actions rather than self-promotion.

7. “Socialism cannot be implemented by a few people or a single party. It can only be implemented by millions of people when they learn to do it themselves.”

○ Interpretation: It emphasizes that socialism is a cause of the masses and requires the participation and practice of the broad masses of people. Only when the masses truly master and personally participate in socialist construction can socialism be realized.

8. “The organization, discipline, perseverance and solidarity of the workers with the workers of the world are the guarantee of final victory.”

○ Explanation: It points out the key qualities of workers in the victory of revolution and construction. Organization, discipline and perseverance can ensure the cohesion of their own strength, and unity with workers around the world can gather even more powerful forces.

9. “We don’t need to memorize by rote. We need to use basic knowledge to develop and enhance each learner’s thinking ability.”

○ Explanation: It opposes rote learning, advocates cultivating and improving learners’ thinking ability based on basic knowledge, and focuses on the essential purpose of learning.

10. “The tasks of young people in general, and of the Communist Youth League and all other organizations in particular, can be summed up in one sentence: to learn.”

○ Interpretation: It emphasizes that the primary task of young people in various organizations is to study, and only through learning can they better contribute to the cause of communism.

11. “At moments of rapid historical change, even advanced political parties often fail to understand the new situation and find a direction for action for a considerable period of time; what was correct yesterday may be outdated today.”

○ Explanation: It means that when history is changing rapidly, political parties may face difficulties in understanding the new situation. This understanding is timely, reminding political parties to keep pace with the times.

12. “Placing hope in the good nature of human beings is utopian; placing hope in the correct and strong leadership of the Party is Marxist.”

○ Explanation: It criticizes the utopian idea of ​​placing hope solely on the goodness of human nature, and emphasizes the fundamental importance of the correct leadership of the Party in achieving the goals.

13. “We should tell the truth because it is our strength.”

○ Interpretation: It shows that telling the truth is the source of strength and reflects Lenin’s emphasis on truth and honesty. Only by telling the truth can we win the trust of the people and truly gather strength.

14. “To forget the past is to betray.”

○ Interpretation: It reminds people not to forget history. History is a treasure trove of experience and lessons. If we forget history, we will lose our foundation and may repeat the same mistakes, betraying the achievements of our ancestors.

15. “We cannot imagine, express, measure, describe movement without cutting off the continuity, simplifying, coarsening, dividing, and rigidifying the living thing.”

○ Explanation: It explains the necessity of abstraction, simplification and division when understanding and describing the movement of things. This is a dialectical way of understanding things. Theory comes from practice. As real life continues to develop and change, Marxists cannot follow the old ways and rely solely on past theories. Instead, they must develop and innovate theories based on real life and exact facts, so that Marxism can always remain vibrant and effectively guide real revolutions, construction and other work.

16. “Marxists must take into account living reality, the exact facts of reality, and not cling to yesterday’s theories.”

○ Interpretation: It emphasizes that Marxists should keep pace with the times. Theory originates from practice. As real life continues to develop and change, Marxists cannot stick to the old ways and rely solely on past theories. Instead, they should develop and innovate theories based on real life and accurate facts, so that Marxism can always remain vibrant and effectively guide real revolution, construction and other work.

17. “The wisdom of millions of creators will produce something far superior to the foresight of the greatest genius.”

○ Interpretation: Attach importance to the wisdom of the masses. The masses are a collection of many creators, and they contain infinite wisdom and creativity. When this wisdom is gathered together, its power far exceeds the foresight of individual geniuses, which reflects Lenin’s high trust in the power of the masses and also reflects the concept of mass historical view.

18. “We do not demand that Marx or Marxists know all the specific circumstances on the road to socialism. This is wishful thinking. We only know the direction of this road and what kind of class forces are leading it; as for how to proceed in practice, that can only be shown by the experience of millions of people after they have begun to act.”

○ Explanation: It shows that although Marxists clearly know the direction of the socialist road and the class forces that lead this road, they cannot predict all the details of the road to socialism. It emphasizes the importance of practical experience, and the specific practical path must rely on the exploration and summary of the broad masses of people in practice.

19. “As long as millions of working people unite as one and follow the best of their class, victory is assured.”

○ Interpretation: It once again emphasizes the power of workers’ unity. When millions of workers unite closely and follow the outstanding leaders of their class, they can form a powerful force that is sufficient to ensure victory in revolution, construction and other undertakings, highlighting the importance of class unity and correct leadership.

20. “The revolution is the great festival of the oppressed and exploited. Never before can the masses of the people emerge as the active creators of a new social order as in a revolutionary period.”

○ Explanation: It points out the special significance of revolution for the oppressed and exploited. The revolutionary period is a time for them to change their fate and create a new social system. They are no longer passive recipients, but active creators. The revolution provides them with a stage to change the social structure and fight for their own rights and interests.

21. “The strength of a country lies in the consciousness of the masses. Only when the masses know everything, can judge everything, and consciously do everything, the country will be strong.”

○ Explanation: It emphasizes the importance of mass consciousness to national strength. Only when the masses are fully informed, have the ability to judge, and consciously participate in state affairs, can the country be truly strong, which shows that the awakening and participation of the masses are the key factors for national development.

22. “Without ‘human feelings’, there has never been and cannot be any pursuit of truth by humans.”

○ Interpretation: Acknowledge the role of emotions in the pursuit of truth. Humans are not purely rational beings. Emotions can inspire people to yearn for and explore the truth. Without the drive of emotions, it is hard to imagine that someone would actively pursue the truth.

23. “Communism is Soviet power plus electrification of the whole country.”

○ Explanation: This is a concise and vivid summary of Lenin’s communism in the context of Russia at that time. The Soviet regime is a form of regime of proletarian dictatorship and represents the political system; national electrification symbolizes the development of modern industry and modern and up-to-date leading productive forces, emphasizing that socialism requires the combination of advanced political system and highly developed productive forces.

24. “Our strength lies in telling the truth!”

○ Explanation: Repeatedly emphasize the importance of telling the truth. The truth represents facts and truth. Only by telling the truth can we win the trust of the people and demonstrate our own strength. In revolution, construction and other affairs, telling the truth is the key to maintaining credibility and uniting the masses.

25. “Commodity exchange must be given the foreground, made the main lever of the New Economic Policy. Without systematic commodity exchange or exchange of products between industry and agriculture, it will be impossible for the proletariat and the peasantry to establish correct relations, a sufficiently solid economic alliance, during the period of transition from capitalism to socialism.”

○ Explanation: It expounds the core position of commodity exchange in the New Economic Policy. In the transition period from capitalism to socialism, commodity exchange between industry and agriculture plays an irreplaceable role in establishing the correct relationship between the proletariat and the peasants and consolidating the economic alliance. This is an important conclusion made by Lenin based on the economic situation in Russia at that time.

26. “A communist society cannot be built in a country of illiterates.”

○ Explanation: It emphasizes the fundamental role of cultural education in building a communist society. Illiteracy means lack of knowledge and cultural literacy, and the construction of a communist society requires people to have a certain level of literacy, including the ability to understand the social system, participate in social management, and master advanced production technology. Only by improving the cultural quality of the people can we provide the necessary human resources and intellectual support for the construction of a communist society.

27. “At any time and under any circumstances, collective leadership must clearly define the responsibilities of each person for certain matters. Using collective leadership as an excuse to leave no one responsible is the most dangerous scourge.”

○ Explanation: This article explains the definition of responsibilities in collective leadership. Collective leadership does not mean that responsibilities are vague. On the contrary, the responsibilities of each member in specific matters should be clearly defined. If no one is responsible under the pretext of collective leadership, it will lead to serious problems such as low work efficiency and difficulty in implementing decisions. This is an important principle in organizational management.

28. “The task of truly building a communist society is precisely that which must be undertaken by the youth.”

○ Explanation: It expresses the expectation for young people in the cause of building communism. Young people represent the future and hope. They are full of vitality, innovative and easy to accept new ideas. The construction of communist society is a long process. Young people will gradually become the main force in this process and undertake the important mission of building communist society.

29. “A democratic republic is the best political shell that capitalism can adopt.”

○ Explanation: It points out the adaptability of democratic republic to capitalism. This institutional form gives citizens equal political rights on the surface, which meets the needs of capitalist development, can conceal the class nature of capitalism, and provides a seemingly fair and democratic political form for the bourgeoisie to rule, which is conducive to the bourgeoisie to maintain its own interests and rule.

30. “If you ask why Marx’s teachings have been able to capture the hearts and minds of millions of people in the most revolutionary class, you will get only one answer: it is because Marx relied on the solid foundation of knowledge acquired by mankind under the capitalist system; Marx studied the laws of development of human society and realized that the development of capitalism will inevitably lead to communism. What is more important is that he confirmed this conclusion based entirely on the most accurate, meticulous and profound study of capitalist society and with the help of a full grasp of all the knowledge provided by previous science.”

○ Explanation: It explains why Marxist theory can be accepted by the broad masses of the proletariat. Marxist theory is based on the solid foundation of human knowledge under the capitalist system. Through in-depth research on the laws of human social development, especially accurate, careful and profound research on capitalist society, based on existing scientific knowledge, it draws the conclusion that capitalism will inevitably move towards communism. This scientific nature enables it to touch the hearts of millions of people in the most revolutionary class.

31. “The socialist revolution is not a single act, not a single battle on one front, but a whole epoch of violent class conflicts.”

○ Explanation: It emphasizes the long-term and complex nature of the socialist revolution. The socialist revolution is not a single event that is accomplished overnight, but a long period of time that covers many class conflicts. In this process, contradictions and struggles between different classes continue to exist, and various complex social, political, and economic problems need to be constantly addressed and resolved.

32. “Marxism, the ideological system of the revolutionary proletariat, has acquired world-historical significance because it has not discarded the most valuable achievements of the bourgeois era, but has absorbed and transformed everything valuable in human thought and culture over the past two thousand years.”

○ Explanation: This article explains why Marxism has world-historical significance. Marxism did not emerge out of thin air. Against the backdrop of the proletarian revolution, it absorbed the outstanding achievements of the bourgeois era and transformed the valuable content of human thought and culture over the past two thousand years. This eclectic nature has given it broad adaptability and profound connotations, thus earning it world-historical significance.

33. “Theory is transformed into practice, theory is enlivened by practice, modified by practice, and tested by practice.”

○ Explanation: It reflects Lenin’s epistemology of dialectical materialism. Theory originates from practice and is developed in the process of practice. Practice injects vitality into theory, amends and improves theory according to the situation of practice, and is also the only criterion for testing whether the theory is correct or not, emphasizing the interactive relationship between theory and practice.

Lenin’s words are full of power and wisdom. “To accomplish a great cause, one must start with small things.” This simple sentence reflects his pragmatic attitude and emphasizes the importance of down-to-earth accumulation. In the propaganda and organizational work of the revolution, Lenin’s speeches were sharp and passionate. Lenin called on the working class to unite, “Give us an organization of revolutionaries, and we can turn Russia upside down!” This kind of words inspired countless people to move forward bravely for the revolutionary cause. When expounding on socialist construction, Lenin pointed out that “it is better to have less, but better”, which reflects the importance of construction quality. Lenin’s words are always closely linked to the actual needs of revolutionary struggle, regime building, etc., with a far-sighted theoretical depth, and can be conveyed to the masses in an easy-to-understand way, becoming a powerful weapon to inspire people and promote social change in Russia.