Great Throughts Treasury

"Whoever hesitates while waiting for ideas to triumph among the masses before initiating revolutionary action will never be a revolutionary. Humanity will, of course, change. Human society will, of course, continue to develop – in spite of men and the errors of men. But that is not a revolutionary attitude."

"Men do not shape destiny, Destiny produces the man for the hour. "

"A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past. "

"More than 820 million people in the world suffer from hunger; and 790 million of them live in the Third World. "

"My idea, as the whole world knows, is that the capitalist system now doesn't work either for the United States or the world, driving it from crisis to crisis, which are each time more serious"

"They talk about the failure of socialism but where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America? "

"Warfare is a means and not an end. Warfare is a tool of revolutionaries. The important thing is the revolution! The important thing is the revolutionary cause, revolutionary ideas, revolutionary objectives, revolutionary sentiments, revolutionary virtues!"

"The ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and the hungry but they cannot kill ignorance, illnesses, poverty or hunger."

"With what moral authority can they speak of human rights — the rulers of a nation in which the millionaire and beggar coexist; the Indian is exterminated; the black man is discriminated against; the woman is prostituted; and the great masses of Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and Latin Americans are scorned, exploited, and humiliated? How can they do this — the bosses of an empire where the mafia, gambling, and child prostitution are imposed; where the CIA organizes plans of global subversion and espionage, and the Pentagon creates neutron bombs capable of preserving material assets and wiping out human beings; an empire that supports reaction and counter-revolution all over the world; that protects and promotes the exploitation by monopolies of the wealth and the human resources of whole continents, unequal exchange, a protectionist policy, an incredible waste of natural resources, and a system of hunger for the world?"

"Ideas do not need weapons, to the extent that they can convince the great masses."

"A bunch of kidnappers."

"A revolution is not a bed of roses."

"A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past."

"A model country that protects the lives of its citizens."

"All criticism is opposition. All opposition is counter-revolutionary."

"Also means defying the powerful forces inside and outside our country."

"Apart from the moral and political damage that this does, what hurts us the most is the idea that one single American citizen could think that from Cuban territory any harm would be waged against them."

"As I have said before, the ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and the hungry, but they cannot kill ignorance, illness, poverty or hunger."

"And now, suddenly you discover that almost everything is behind you, and that life has its limits."

"Condemn me, it does not matter, history will absolve me."

"Capitalism is using its money; we socialists throw it away."

"Capitalism has neither the capacity, nor the morality, nor the ethics to solve the problems of poverty."

"Cuba has not solicited international aid."

"Cuba knows no fear and despises deceit; it listens with respect but believes in its ideas; it firmly defends its principles and has nothing to hide from the world."

"Cuba stands by Pakistan in this hour of trial."

"Driven to death by that monstrous invention of the United States called the Cuban Adjustment Act."

"Could it be that the government of the United States feels hurt that Cuba cooperates with a brother nation? Does that offend the U.S. government ... is it antidemocratic, is it a crime?"

"Each one of you must go ready to face aggression, harassment, blackmail attempts and bribery. [addressing Cuban athletes before the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games warning them not to defect]"

"Fellow workers and peasants, this is the socialist and democratic revolution of the working people, with the working people, and for the working people. And for this revolution of the working people, by the working people, and for the working people we are prepared to give our lives."

"For every word you have said -- even those I might disagree with -- on behalf of all the Cuban people, Holy Father, I thank you!"

"For us, it's an honor to be friends with North Korea ... and Iran."

"For now... get me a New York Times reporter up here."

"Forty-eight hours have passed and we have received no response to our offer. We will wait patiently,"

"Forgive me for using the term 'fat little brother' ... It is not a criticism, rather a suggestion that he do some exercises and go on a diet, don't you think? I'm doing this for the gentleman's health."

"He is a boy hero of Cuba."

"He went too far in his speech. He was rude. He insulted. He lied, and he threatened."

"He is very much a fool. He doesn't know who the Cuban baseball players are, or that they are Olympic and world champions. If he knew, he would know something about this country's government."

"History will absolve me."

"He (Bush) threatens humanity with World War III, this time using atomic weapons."

"How can we help President Obama?"

"Humanity will preserve an emotional memory of the tireless work of His Holiness John Paul II in favor of peace, justice and solidarity among all people."

"I am a Marxist-Leninist, and I will be a Marxist-Leninist until the last days of my life."

"How many lives has this law cost our nation? How many lives of innocent children pulled out of school by mothers or fathers who are irresponsible or tricked by illusions?"

"I am appealing to their intelligence."

"I am not a communist and neither is the revolutionary movement, but we do not have to say that we are anticommunists just to fawn on foreign powers."

"I am Fidel Castro and we have come to liberate Cuba."

"I am talking about three days... It is inevitable."

"I am going to tell you what I think about this famous commission."

"I am not a dictator, and I do not think I will become one. I will not maintain power with a machine gun."

"I ask your forgiveness for having fallen. To prevent speculation, I observe I have a fracture in the knee and maybe the arm too, I'm not sure."