Joseph Stalin

“We don't let them have ideas. Why would we let them have guns?”

“We secured peace for our country for one and a half years, as well as an opportunity of preparing our forces for defense if fascist Germany risked attacking our country in defiance of the pact. This was a definite gain to our country and a loss for fascist Germany.”

“[Maxim] Litvinov signed his letter not in private capacity but as representative of the state, just as did President [Franklin] Roosevelt. Their agreement represents an agrement between two states. Signing this agreement both Litvinov and President Roosevelt as therepresentatives of two states have in mind the activities of the agents of those states who should not and will not interfere in each other's internal affairs.”

“It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.”

“Why will our elections be equal? Because neither differences in regard to property (differences partly existing) nor differences of race and nationality will cause any privileges or disadvantages. Women will enjoy the right to elect and be elected equally with men. Our elections will be really equal.”

“History shows that when a state is intent upon making war against another state, even though not adjacent, it begins to seek frontiers across which it could reach the frontiers of the state which it desires to attack. Usually, the aggressive state finds that frontier.”

“We [U.S.S.R. and U.S.A.] can exist peacefully together if we don't indulge in too much mutual fault-finding in all kinds of trifles.”

“We built this [socialistic] society not for the curbing of personal liberty, but in order that human personalities should really feel free.”

“A certain inequality in regard to property still exists in a socialist society. But in a socialist society there is no unemployment, no exploitation, no oppression of nationalities.”

“So far, the Far Eastern focal point of danger is the most active.It is possible, however, that the center of the menace may shift to Europe. Evidence of this is provided, for instance, by [Adolf] Hitler's recent interview given to a French paper. In this interview, Hitler seems to attempt to say peaceful things. But this "peacefulness" of his is so thickly interspersed with threats against France and the Soviet Union that nothing remains of the "peacefulness".”

“If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves.”

“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.”

“Bukharin's a swine and surely worse than a swine because he thinks it below his dignity to write a couple of lines.”

“Do you remember the tsar? Well, I‘m like a tsar.”

“As you can see, even when [Adolf] Hitler desires to speak for peace, he cannot dispense with threats. This is symptomatic.”

“Nobody respects a country with a poor army, but everybody respects a country with a good army. I raise my toast to the Finnish army”

“You cannot make a revolution with silk gloves.”

“It was necessary, temporarily, to limit certain requirements, accumulate necessary means, strain forces. We acted precisely in this way and built a socialist society.”

“In the future, there will be fewer but better Russians.”

“I know that after my death a pile of rubbish will be heaped on my grave, but the wind of History will sooner or later sweep it away without mercy.”

“There are on occasions, as we know, when resources are abundant, but they are expended so incompetently that the advantage is nullified.”

“Anti-Semitism, as an extreme form of racial chauvinism, is the most dangerous vestige of cannibalism.”

“In the U.S.S.R. anti-semitism is punishable with the utmost severity of the law as a phenomenon deeply hostile to the Soviet system. Under U.S.S.R. law active anti-semites are liable to the death penalty.”

“Revolution, the substitution of one social system for another, has always been a struggle, a painful and a cruel struggle, a life and death struggle.”

“Words are one thing - deeds something entirely different. Fine words are a mask to cover shady deeds. A sincere diplomat is like dry water or wooden iron.”

“A sincere diplomat is like dry water or wooden iron.”

“Of course, in order to build something new, one has to economize, accumulate means, temporarily limit one's requirements, borrow from others. If you want to build a new house,you save money temporarily and limit your requirements, otherwise you might not build your house.”

“To slacken the tempo...would mean falling behind. And those who fall behind get beaten.”

“In speaking of the capitalists who strive only for profit, only to get rich, I do not want to say that these are the most worthless people capable of doing nothing else. Many of them undoubtedly possess great organising talent, which I would not dream of denying. We Soviet people learn a lot from the capitalists. But if you mean people who are prepared to reconstruct the world, of course you will not be able to find them in the ranks of those who faithfully serve the cause of profit. ..The capitalist is riveted in profit and nothing can tear him away from it.”

“Real liberty exists only there where exploitation has been annihilated, where no oppression of some peoples by others exists, where there is no unemployment and pauperism, where a person does not tremble because tomorrow he may lose his job, home and bread.”

“Are there no American citizens sympathizing with whiteguard emigres who conduct propaganda in favor of capitalism, against the Soviets? Then what does the point involve? The point is not to assist these persons, not to finance their activities. The point is that officials of both countries should not interfere in the internal affairs of the other country.”

“Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs.”

“Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas.”

“It doesnt matter how many people vote, only who counts them.”

“There are capitalist states which consider themselves cheated, during previous redivisions ofspheres of influence, territories, sources of raw materials, markets, etc., and which would again desire to redivide them to their own advantage.”

“Gaiety is the most outstanding feature of the Soviet Union.”

“Our new Soviet constitution will, in my opinion, be the most democratic constitution of all those existing in the world.”

“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.”

“Our new election system will spur on all institutions and organizations and will force them to improve their work.”

“It is difficult for me to imagine what "personal liberty" the unemployed can have who go hungry and cannot find utilization of their labor.”

“The only real power comes out of a long rifle.”

“Hitlers come and go, but Germany and the German people remain.”

“We think that a powerful and vigorous movement is impossible without differences - "true conformity" is possible only in the cemetery.”

“Yes, the electoral struggle [in U.S.S.R.] will be animated. It will proceed around numerous very sharp questions, namely, practical questions having first-rate significance for the people.”

“Our society consists exclusively of free working people of cities and villages, workers, peasants, intelligentsia. Each of these strata may have its special interests and express them in numerous existing organizations.”

“This creature softened my heart of stone. She died and with her died my last warm feelings for humanity.”

“Each country, if it so desires, will make its own revolution. And if no such desire exists, no revolution will occur.”

“I don't know what specific frontiers Germany could adopt for her purposes, but I think that those willing "to lend" a frontier to her can be found.”

“music's a good thing, it calm the beast in the man.”

“When we hang the capitalists they will sell us the rope we use.”