Mengistu Haile Mariam Quotes

Without a revolutionary theory there cannot be a revolutionary movement.

Politics is a contact sport.

A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery.

If today I stand here as a revolutionary, it is as a revolutionary against the Revolution.

I am dying, but with a strong hope and persuasion that my country will gain her independence.

To create a housing shortage in a huge country, heavily wooded, with a small population—ah, that's proof of pure political genius.

Revolutionary death is the reality and victory the dream.

Islam wishes to destroy all States and Governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the ideology and program of Islam regardless of the country or the Nation which rules it… In reality Islam is a revolutionary ideology and program which seeks to alter the social order of the whole world and rebuild it in conformity with its own tenets and ideals. 'Muslim' is the title of that International Revolutionary Party organized by Islam to carry into effect its revolutionary program. And 'Jihad' refers to that revolutionary struggle and utmost exertion which the Islamic Party brings into play to achieve this objective.

The vessel of Revolution can arrive at port only on a sea reddened by torrents of blood.

All ideological work must be subordinated to the interests of the Korean revolution

Even some liberals appear willing to believe that despite his decades of involvement in Hindu nationalist causes, [Narendra] Modi embraced Hindutva mostly as an electoral strategy and the “real” Modi is not a divisive ideologue but a pragmatic, growth-oriented manager.

I want what's best for our country. I'm not sure I can figure that out.

Castro has been a teacher for me. A master. Not on ideology but on strategy.

Look, politics can be tough.

In China the struggle to consolidate the socialist system, the struggle to decide whether socialism or capitalism will prevail, will still take a long historical period. However, we should all realize that the new system of socialism will unquestionably be consolidated. We can assuredly build a socialist state with modern industry, modern agriculture, and modern science and culture.

Although the Great Leader told us that we have to let the people eat rice with meat soup, wear silk clothes and live in a tiled roof house, we have not accomplished his will. We have already reached the status of a strong country in the military field, let alone politics and ideology, but there are still quite a number of things lacking in people's lives. I am trying to implement his will by solving these problems.

The more people in need, the better the Democrat Party is, in their minds, 'cause that's their source of power.

The working classes in every country only learn to fight in the course of their struggles...Social democracy...is only the advance guard of the proletariat, a small piece of the total working masses; blood from their blood, and flesh from their flesh. Social democracy seeks and finds the ways, and particular slogans, of the workers' struggle only in the course of the development of this struggle, and gains directions for the way forward through this struggle alone.

I'm convinced that democracy cannot be exported from one country to another, like you cannot expert revolutions, ideology.

Libertarians should say, 'I love this country too much to take away votes from the Republican'

I am proud that I have devoted all my life to the struggle for the triumph of Leninism.

Castro wasn't a Marxist. He was a Catholic educated by the Christian Brothers and the Jesuits. But fundamentally, I'm not talking about practising Catholics, but rather about something which is inbred; that is, a part of your country, your heritage, your life.

The imperialists and domestic reactionaries will certainly not take their defeat Lying down and they will struggle to the last ditch. After there is peace and order throughout the country, they will still engage in sabotage and create disturbances in various ways and will try every day and every minute to stage a comeback. This is inevitable, beyond all doubt, and under no circumstances must we relax our vigilance.

The chief difference [between totalitarian and free countries] is that only the totalitarians appear clearly to know how they want to achieve that result, while the free world has only its past achievements to show, being by its very nature unable to offer any detailed "plan" for further growth.

Trotsky was essentially a Western mind. Lenin was a Russian, and unlike most other revolutionary exiles, wherever he went he was a Russian.