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Home
Authors
Leon Trotsky
Russian
Revolutionary
About the author
The historic ascent of humanity, taken as a whole, may be summarized as a succession of victories of consciousness over blind forces - in nature, in society, in man himself.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#May
#Society
#Nature
#Humanity
#Consciousness
#Blind
You may not be interested in strategy, but strategy is interested in you.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#May
#Strategy
Where force is necessary, there it must be applied boldly, decisively and completely. But one must know the limitations of force; one must know when to blend force with a maneuver, a blow with an agreement.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Force
#Agreement
#Limitations
There is a limit to the application of democratic methods. You can inquire of all the passengers as to what type of car they like to ride in, but it is impossible to question them as to whether to apply the brakes when the train is at full speed and accident threatens.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Question
#Car
#Accident
There are no absolute rules of conduct, either in peace or war. Everything depends on circumstances.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#War
#Peace
#Circumstances
#Rules
The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#End
#May
The depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves. People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life, for only then do they have to fall back on their reserves.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Character
#Life
#People
#Strength
Technique is noticed most markedly in the case of those who have not mastered it.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
Revolutions are always verbose.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Man
#Old
#Age
Not believing in force is the same as not believing in gravity.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Force
#Gravity
Let a man find himself, in distinction from others, on top of two wheels with a chain - at least in a poor country like Russia - and his vanity begins to swell out like his tires. In America it takes an automobile to produce this effect.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Country
#Man
#Poor
#Effect
#America
#Russia
#Vanity
Insurrection is an art, and like all arts has its own laws.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Art
#Laws
In a serious struggle there is no worse cruelty than to be magnanimous at an inopportune time.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Time
#Struggle
#Cruelty
If we had more time for discussion we should probably have made a great many more mistakes.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Time
#Mistakes
Ideas that enter the mind under fire remain there securely and for ever.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Ideas
#Mind
#Fire
Learning carries within itself certain dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one's enemies.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Enemies
#Necessity
#Learning
From being a patriotic myth, the Russian people have become an awful reality.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#People
#Being
#Reality
#Myth
If we had had more time for discussion we should probably have made a great many more mistakes.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Time
#Mistakes
England is nothing but the last ward of the European madhouse, and quite possibly it will prove to be the ward for particularly violent cases.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Will
#Nothing
#England
Life is not an easy matter... You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea which raises you above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Life
#Idea
#Misery
#Weakness
#Frustration
#Cynicism
Fascism is nothing but capitalist reaction.
Leon Trotsky,
Russian
Revolutionary
#Nothing
#Fascism