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Mao’s Quotations


 * 1) **“In the West imperialism is still oppressing the people at home. This situation must change. It is the task of the people of the whole world to put an end to the aggression and oppression perpetrated by imperialism, and chiefly by U.S. imperialism.”** – Mao’s faith in communism naturally made him oppose imperialism, which is fueled by capitalist free trade. The U.S., being the chief advocates of capitalism throughout this time period in the world, are mainly criticised by Mao in this quotation for this very reliance on a capitalist economic system.
 * 2) **“Wherever there is struggle, there is sacrifice, and death is a common occurrence. But we have the interests of the people and the sufferings of the great majority at heart, and when we die for the people it is a worthy death. Nevertheless, we should do our best to avoid unnecessary sacrifices.”** – This quotation shows Mao's tendencies to glorify death, as long as it is a contribution towards the greater cause that is communism. Mao's priority remains the people, and this utilitarian tendency is reflective of other communist leaders, such as Stalin.
 * 3) **“In any society in which classes exist, class struggle will never end. In classless society, the struggle between the new and the old and between truth and falsehood will never end. In the fields of the struggle for production and scientific experiment, mankind makes constant progress and nature undergoes constant change; they never remain at the same level. Therefore, man has constantly to sum up experience and go on discovering, inventing, creating, and advancing.”** – This quotation shows Mao's reliance on his communist ideologies. He takes a leaf from Marx's Communist Manifesto by mentioning the perennial nature of class struggles. Furthermore, he places faith on the struggles of experience – of production, of experiments, of tangible results – and this faith can be apparent in movements such as his Five-Year Plans and the Cultural Revolution, which placed constant sense of importance on experience and scientific advancement.
 * 4) **“Where do correct ideas come from? Do they drop from the skies? No. Are they innate in the mind? No. They come from social practise, and from it alone; they come from three kinds of social practise, the struggle for production, the class struggle, and scientific experiment.”** – This quotation reflects Mao’s philosophical reliance on communist doctrine – reflected through his mention of class struggles – and his idea that long-term societal changes, not least the effectuation of a communist society, will not be done overnight, and there needs to be constant practise and achievement, as exemplified through the Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution, in order for these societal changes to blossom and take place.
 * 5) **“The world is yours, as well as ours, but in the last analysis, it is yours. You young people, full of vigor and vitality, are in the bloom of life, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. Our hope is placed on you.”** – This quotation reflects Mao’s reliance on the young throughout the Cultural Revolution. Those who effectuated reforms in the educational regime were university students. Likewise, Mao’s focus throughout the revolutionary reforms was the young generation who would be the future foundation upon which China would rest.