Mao, Tse-tung, 1893-1976

Quotations from chairman Mao Tse-tung. (Peking, Foreign Languages Press, 1966)

This is one of the key Communist icons, Mao's "Little red book".

The Foreword by Lin Piao begins,

Comrade Mao Tse-tung is the greatest Marxist-Leninist of our era. He has inherited, defended and developed Marxism-Leninism with genius, creatively and comprehensively, and has brought it to a higher and completely new stage.

Mao Tse-tung's thought is Marxism-Leninism of the era in which imperialism is heading for total collapse and socialism is advancing to world-wide victory.

Mao was a practical revolutionary leader who placed action above theoretical debate.

A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another. (p. 11-12)