It is impossible to predict the time and progress of revolution. It is governed by its own more or less mysterious laws.
Vladimir LeninRead
Despair is typical of those who do not understand the causes of evil, see no way out, and are incapable of struggle. The modern industrial proletariat does not belong to the category of such classes.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Despair arises from ignorance of the root causes of evil and the absence of hope for change. The working class is not defined by such despair but by their capacity to understand and fight against it.
In this quote, Lenin emphasizes that despair is a state of mind typically held by those who are unaware of the underlying causes of societal problems and who see no viable means of overcoming them. He suggests that the modern industrial proletariat, being aware and engaged with the struggles of their time, do not belong to this category of despairing classes; instead, they have the potential for action and change. This reflects Lenin's belief in the revolutionary capability of the working class to challenge and dismantle oppressive systems.
Themes
DespairStruggleProletariatEvilChange
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about worker's rights to illustrate the hope and agency of the labor class.
More from Vladimir Lenin
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A democracy is a state which recognizes the subjection of the minority to the majority, that is, an organization for the systematic use of violence by one class against the other, by one part of the population against another.
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We are not utopians, we do not βdreamβ of dispensing at once with all administration, with all subordination. These anarchist dreams, based upon incomprehension of the tasks of the proletarian dictatorship, are totally alien to Marxism, and, as a matter of fact, serve only to postpone the socialist revolution until people are different. No, we want the socialist revolution with people as they are now, with people who cannot dispense with subordination, control, and "foremen and accountants".
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The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
Vladimir LeninRead
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