Leon Trotsky

“The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.”

“Where force is necessary, there it must be applied boldly, decisively and completely.”

“Everyone has a right to be stupid, but some people abuse the privilege.”

“Old age is the most unexpected of all things that can happen to a man.”

“In a country where the sole employer is the State, opposition means death by slow starvation.”

“If you cannot convince a Fascist, acquaint his head with the pavement.”

“War is the locomotive of history.”

“Not believing in force is the same as not believing in gravitation.”

“Art, it is said, is not a mirror, but a hammer: it does not reflect, it shapes.”

“Life is not an easy matter... You cannot live on this earth without making a few mistakes.”

“Ideas that enter the mind under fire remain there securely and for ever.”

“There are no absolute rules of conduct, either in peace or in war. Everything depends on circumstances.”

“The creative union of the conscious with the unconscious is what one usually calls inspiration.”

“The historic ascent of humanity, taken as a whole, may be summarized as a succession of victories of consciousness over blind forces.”