Portrait of Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of Russian Revolution

Modern influential 172 sayings

Sayings by Vladimir Lenin

The goal of socialism is communism.

1917 — The State and Revolution
Wisdom Unverifiable

Pravda is a terrible word. It is a good word, but it is a terrible word. It means truth. And there is no truth.

circa 1917-1920 — Attributed, possibly apocryphal or a misremembered conversation.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The sound of music does not stir me. It acts on my nerves as an irritant. I am unable to listen to music.

1924 (published) — Reminiscences of Lenin by Maxim Gorky
Art & Creativity Unverifiable

It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed.

circa 1918-1922 — Attributed, often cited in critical analyses of his political philosophy.
Justice & Rights Confirmed

Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a Bolshevik forever.

circa 1919-1922 — Attributed, reflecting the emphasis on early indoctrination.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The more we shoot, the better.

1918 — Order to suppress revolts, often cited in context of Red Terror.
Wisdom Unverifiable

We consider it our duty to suppress the resistance of the exploiters by force.

1917 — The State and Revolution
Wisdom Unverifiable

The State is a machine for maintaining the domination of one class over another.

1917 — The State and Revolution
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

Democracy is a state which recognizes the subordination of the minority to the majority, i.e., an organization for the systematic use of violence by one class against the other, by one section of the population against another.

1917 — The State and Revolution
Political Unverifiable

The more powerful the resistance of the exploiting classes, the more ruthless, the more merciless, the more uncompromising must be the struggle.

1920 — Speech, 'The Tasks of the Youth Leagues'
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

Communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country.

1920 — Our Foreign and Domestic Position and Party's Tasks
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

Control over bread is control over everything.

circa 1917-1920 — Attributed, reflecting the importance of food supply in revolutionary struggles.
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

We need to go to the countryside, to the villages, to the peasants. We must explain to them that the Soviet government is the only government that frees them from exploitation.

1917 — Speech to the First All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies
Political Unverifiable

The rich and the rogues are two sides of the same coin, they are the two principal categories of parasites whom the Soviet government must most persistently combat.

1918 — How to Organise Competition?
Political Unverifiable

We shall be victorious because we are right.

circa 1917-1920 — Attributed, a common revolutionary slogan.
Wisdom Unverifiable

Imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism.

1917 — Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism
Political Unverifiable

The transition from capitalism to communism will certainly create a great variety of political forms, but their essence will inevitably be the same: the dictatorship of the proletariat.

1917 — The State and Revolution
Political Unverifiable

War is a crime, but it is a necessary crime.

circa 1917-1920 — Attributed, reflecting his views on revolutionary violence.
War & Conflict Unverifiable

Trust is good, control is better.

circa 1917-1922 — Attributed, a common phrase in Russian, often associated with his pragmatic approach.
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

One man with a gun can control 100 without one.

circa 1917-1920 — Attributed, a stark statement on the power of armed force.
Power & Leadership Confirmed
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