The worker is the slave of capitalist society, the female worker is the slave of that slave.
James ConnollyRead
Ireland, as distinct from her people, is nothing to me; and the man who is bubbling over with love and enthusiasm for "Ireland," and can yet pass unmoved through our streets and witness all the wrong and the suffering, shame and degradation wrought upon the people of Ireland-yea, wrought by Irishmen upon Irish men and women, without burning to end it, is, in my opinion, a fraud and a liar in his heart, no matter how he loves that combination of chemical elements he is pleased to call Ireland.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True love for one's country should include compassion for its people and a commitment to their wellbeing.
James Connolly's quote emphasizes the idea that genuine national pride cannot exist in isolation from the suffering and struggles of the people who make up that nation. He argues that to truly love 'Ireland' means to actively engage with and address the injustices faced by its citizens; otherwise, such love is superficial and deceitful, revealing a deeper moral flaw in the individual.
Themes
IrelandLoveSufferingPeopleMoralityPatriotism
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on social justice, one might quote Connolly to emphasize the need for activism.
More from James Connolly
All quotes →The Irish Republic must be made a word to conjure with - a rallying point for the disaffected, a haven for the oppressed, a point of departure for the socialist, enthusiastic in the cause of human freedom.
James ConnollyRead
If you remove the English Army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle., unless you set about the organization of the Socialist Republic your efforts will be in vain. England will still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial and individualist institutions she has planted in this country and watered with the tears of our mothers and the blood of our martyrs
James ConnollyRead
If you remove the English army to-morrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organisation of the Socialist Republic your efforts would be in vain.
James ConnollyRead
Whoop it up for liberty! After Ireland is free, says the patriot who won't touch socialism, we will protect all classes, and if you won't pay your rent you will be evicted same as now. But the evicting party, under command of the sheriff, will wear green uniforms and the Harp without the Crown, and the warrant turning you out on the roadside will be stamped with the arms of the Irish Republic. Now, isn't that worth fighting for?
James ConnollyRead
There can be no perfect Europe in which Ireland is denied even the least of its national rights.
James ConnollyRead
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