I am nothing but I must be everything.
Karl MarxRead
The social principles of Christianity preach cowardice, self-contempt, abasement, submission, humility, in a word all the qualities of the canaille
Interpretation
What this quote means
Marx critiques the moral teachings of Christianity, arguing they promote weakness and submission rather than strength and empowerment.
In this quote, Karl Marx expresses his disdain for the moral values emphasized by Christianity, suggesting that they foster traits such as cowardice and humility which he associates with weakness and subservience. He uses the term 'canaille' to denote a lower class of people who embody these qualities, thereby contrasting them with ideals that champion strength and resilience. This statement reflects his broader critique of religion as an entity that suppresses the individual's potential and encourages passivity in the face of challenging circumstances.
Themes
ChristianityCowardiceSubmissionHumilityCritique
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about the impact of religion on society, one might reference this quote to illustrate Marx's perspective on weakness and empowerment.
More from Karl Marx
All quotes βReligion is the opiate of the people.
Karl MarxRead
It is absolutely impossible to transcend the laws of nature. What can change in historically different circumstances is only the form in which these laws expose themselves.
Karl MarxRead
Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living.
Karl MarxRead
To be radical is to grasp things by the root.
Karl MarxRead
Men's ideas are the most direct emanations of their material state.
Karl MarxRead
Similar quotes
Men of patriarchal cultures have been committing heinous acts in the name of their God ever since they created a god for themselves. It seems that the earlier, goddess-oriented, nature-centered religions were far less cruel.
Barbara G. WalkerRead
Too many sit at the banquet table of the gospel of Jesus Christ and merely nibble at the feast placed before them. They go through the motions - attending their meetings perhaps, glancing at scriptures, repeating familiar prayers - but their hearts are far away.
Joseph B. WirthlinRead
Solidarity is not a matter of altruism. Solidarity comes from the inability to tolerate the affront to our own integrity of passive or active collaboration in the oppression of others, and from the deep recognition of our most expansive self-interest. From the recognition that, like it or not, our liberation is bound up with that of every other being on the planet, and that politically, spiritually, in our heart of hearts we know anything else is unaffordable.
Aurora Levins MoralesRead
It is true that I am of an older fashion; much that I love has been destroyed or sent into exile.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
A private relationship of worshiping God is the greatest essential element of spiritual fitness.
Oswald ChambersRead
The question is not, do we go to church; the question is, have we been converted. The crux of Christianity is not whether or not we give donations to popular charities but whether or not we are really committed to the poor.
Joan D. ChittisterRead