The people who cast the votes don't decide an election, the people who count the votes do.
Joseph StalinRead
I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this - who will count the votes, and how.
Interpretation
The process of counting votes is more critical than who casts them.
This quote emphasizes the significance of the vote-counting process in elections, suggesting that the integrity of the counting can influence the outcome more than voter participation itself. It brings attention to the power dynamics involved in determining the results of an election, highlighting the importance of transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
In practice
During a debate on election reforms, this quote can illustrate the need for transparent vote counting.
The people who cast the votes don't decide an election, the people who count the votes do.
If any foreign minister begins to defend to the death a 'peace conference,' you can be sure his government has already placed its orders for new battleships and airplanes.
The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.
Print is the sharpest and the strongest weapon of our party.
You cannot make a revolution with silk gloves.
It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Red Army.
Surely anyone who has ever been elected to public office understands that one commodity above all others, namely the trust and confidence of the people, is fundamental in maintaining a free and open political system.
This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten its neighbors, occupy a capital, overthrow a government, and get away with it. Things have changed.
There also exists another alliance - at first glance a strange one, a surprising one - but if you think about it, in fact, one which is well grounded and easy to understand. This is the alliance between our Communist leaders and your capitalists. This alliance is not new. ... We observe continuous and steady support by the businessmen of the West of the Soviet Communist leaders.
The USA is a threat to world peace. Who are they to pretend that they are the policemen of the world, the ones that should decide for the people of Iraq what should be done with their government and their leadership. All that [the USA] wants is Iraqi oil. [Blair is] simply the foreign minister of the United States. He is no longer prime minister of Britain.
Who gets the risks? The risks are given to the consumer, the unsuspecting consumer and the poor work force. And who gets the benefits? The benefits are only for the corporations, for the money makers.
I didn't have any personal goals when I came, but after being in politics - after seeing people, their difficulties, their wants - I think our goal has to be to eliminate poverty from India.
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