You have never suffered-how can you be a leftist?

If there were no contradictions and no struggle, there would be no world, no process, no life, and there would be nothing at all.

Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically.

If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself. ... If you want to know the theory7 and methods of revolution, you must take part in the revolution. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.

Historical experience is written in blood and iron.

The people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.

A man's head is not like a scallion, which will grow again if you cut it off; if you cut it off wrongly, then even if you want to correct your error, there is no way of doing it.

The popular masses are like water, and the army is like a fish. How then can it be said that when there is water, a fish will have difficulty in preserving its existence? An army which fails to maintain good discipline gets into opposition with the popular masses, and thus by its own action dries up the water.

The struggle tires us, and our hair is gray You and I, old friend, can we just watch our efforts being washed away?

Passivity is fatal to us. Our goal is to make the enemy passive.