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Joseph Stalin Quotes (1879-1953)
Leader, Revolutionary
About Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; 21 December {9 December Old Style} 1879 – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He served as both General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941–1953). Despite initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he ultimately consolidated power to become the Soviet Union's dictator by the 1930s. A communist ideologically committed to the Leninist interpretation of Marxism, Stalin formalised these ideas as Marxism–Leninism while his own policies are known as Stalinism. He was the father of Svetlana Alliluyeva.
Best Joseph Stalin Quotes
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Explore our curated collection of the most famous and impactful Joseph Stalin quotes.
Said amidst discussions of purging Estonia, this chilling statement reveals Stalin's early enthusiasm for concentration camps as tools of political repression.
“The idea of a concentration camp is excellent.”
- Joseph Stalin, Contemporary witnesses)
“There are no fortresses that Bolsheviks cannot storm.”
- Joseph Stalin, Contemporary witnesses)
Facing imminent defeat in 1942, Stalin, despite the Nazi invasion, urged Russians to differentiate between Hitler's regime and the enduring German people and nation.
“Hitlers come and go, but Germany and the German people remain.”
- Joseph Stalin, Stalin's speeches, writings and interviews)
“Much more could have been done had we Bolsheviks been cleverer.”
- Joseph Stalin, Stalin's speeches, writings and interviews)
“God is on your side? Is He a Conservative? The Devil's on my side, he's a good Communist.”
- Joseph Stalin, Contemporary witnesses)
“History shows that there are no invincible armies and that there never have been.”
- Joseph Stalin, Stalin's speeches, writings and interviews)
“If the opposition disarms, all is well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves.”
- Joseph Stalin, Stalin's speeches, writings and interviews)
Joseph Stalin Quotes by Topic
Find exactly what you are looking for by browsing this categorized list of Joseph Stalin quotes by topic.
Joseph Stalin on World War II 4 quotes
“What place does the possibility of a second front occupy in the Soviet estimates of the current situation? A most important place; one might say a place of first-rate importance.”
Joseph Stalin on Soviet Union 3 quotes
“We do not want a single foot of foreign territory; but we will not surrender a single inch of our territory to anyone.”
- Joseph Stalin, S)
Joseph Stalin on Military history of Russia 3 quotes
“Comrades, men of the Red Army and Red Navy, commanders and political instructirs, men and women guerillas, the whole world is looking towards you as a force capable of destroying the plundering hordes of German robbers. The enslaved peoples of Europe who have fallen beneath the yoke of the German robbers look towards you as their liberators. A great liberating mission has fallen to your lot. Be worthy of that mission! The war you are waging is a war of liberation, a just war. Let the heroic images of our great forefathers - Aleksandr Nevsky, Dimitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dimitry Pozharsky, Aleksandr Suvarov and Mikhail Kutuzov - inspire you in this war! May the victorious banner of the great Lenin be your lodestar!”
Joseph Stalin on Russia 2 quotes
Amidst plans to suppress dissent in Estonia, Stalin's chilling endorsement of concentration camps reveals the brutal methods he was prepared to employ against perceived enemies of the revolution.
“The idea of a concentration camp is excellent.”
Joseph Stalin on World economy 2 quotes
“It would be wrong to think that the Second World War broke out accidentally, or as a result of blunders committed by certain statesmen, although blunders were certainly committed. As a matter of fact, the war broke out as the inevitable result of the development of world economic and political forces on the basis of present-day monopolistic capitalism. Marxists have more than once stated that the capitalist system of world economy contains the elements of a general crisis and military conflicts, that, in view of that, the development of world capitalism in our times does not proceed smoothly and evenly, but through crises and catastrophic wars.”
Joseph Stalin on Nazism 2 quotes
“The enemy is cruel and implacable. He is out to seize our lands, watered with our sweat, to seize our grain and oil secured by our labor. He is out to restore the rule of landlords, to restore Tsarism, to destroy national culture and the national state existence of the Russians, Ukrainians, Byelo-Russians, Lithuanians, Letts, Esthonians, Uzbeks, Tatars, Moldavians, Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanians and the other free people of the Soviet Union, to Germanize them, to convert them into the slaves of German princes and barons. Thus the issue is one of life or death for the Soviet State, for the peoples of the USSR; the issue is whether the peoples of the Soviet Union shall remain free or fall into slavery.”
Joseph Stalin on Authors
Joseph Stalin on Atheism
Joseph Stalin on Wolves
Joseph Stalin on Forests
Joseph Stalin on History
“History shows that there are no invincible armies and that there never have been.”
Joseph Stalin on Education
“Education is a weapon the effect of which is determined by the hands which wield it, by who is to be stuck down.”
What Joseph Stalin Said About Others
Discover personal opinions Joseph Stalin shared regarding contemporaries.
Joseph Stalin on Adolf Hitler 2 quotes
View all 2 quotes on Adolf Hitler →Joseph Stalin on Konstantin Rokossovsky
“I have no Suvorov, but Rokossovsky is my Bagration.”
Joseph Stalin on Dwight D. Eisenhower
In the flush of victory, Stalin, according to Zhukov's memoirs, casually proposed a Moscow meeting with Eisenhower, suggesting a fleeting desire for personal connection amidst geopolitical realities.
“We ought to invite Eisenhower to Moscow sometime. I want to meet him.”
Joseph Stalin on Oliver Cromwell
“Stalin: The Communists base themselves on rich historical experience which teaches that obsolete classes do not voluntarily abandon the stage of history. Recall the history of England in the seventeenth century. Did not many say that the old social system had decayed? But did it not, nevertheless, require a Cromwell to crush it by force? Wells: Cromwell acted on the basis of the constitution and in the name of constitutional order. Stalin: In the name of the constitution he resorted to violence, beheaded the king, dispersed Parliament, arrested some and beheaded others!”
Joseph Stalin on Alexander Suvorov
“Comrades, men of the Red Army and Red Navy, commanders and political instructirs, men and women guerillas, the whole world is looking towards you as a force capable of destroying the plundering hordes of German robbers. The enslaved peoples of Europe who have fallen beneath the yoke of the German robbers look towards you as their liberators. A great liberating mission has fallen to your lot. Be worthy of that mission! The war you are waging is a war of liberation, a just war. Let the heroic images of our great forefathers - Aleksandr Nevsky, Dimitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dimitry Pozharsky, Aleksandr Suvarov and Mikhail Kutuzov - inspire you in this war! May the victorious banner of the great Lenin be your lodestar!”
Joseph Stalin on Winston Churchill
At Yalta in 1945, Stalin, acknowledging Churchill's pivotal role in resisting Hitler, toasted him as the "bravest governmental figure in the world," highlighting Britain's solitary fight.
“Marshal Stalin proposed a toast to the health of the Prime Minister, whom he characterized as the bravest governmental figure in the world. He said that due in large measure to Mr. Churchill's courage and staunchness, England, when she stood alone, had divided the might of Hitlerite Germany at a time when the rest of Europe was falling flat on its face before Hitler. He said that Great Britain, under Mr. Churchill's leadership, had carried on the fight alone irrespective of existing or potential allies. The Marshal concluded that he knew of few examples in history where the courage of one man had been so important to the future history of the world. He drank a toast to Mr. Churchill, his fighting friend and a brave man.”
Quotes About Joseph Stalin
Gain deeper perspective through quotes about Joseph Stalin from others.
Salvador Allende on Joseph Stalin
“Stalin was an example of creativity, humanism and an edifying example of peace and heroism! [...] Everything that he did, he did at the service of the people. Our father Stalin is dead, but when remembering his example, our affection towards him will make our arms grow strong for the building of a great tomorrow, to assure a future in memory of his magnificent example.”
Svetlana Alliluyeva on Joseph Stalin
“When my mother left us, [Stalin] was left completely alone. And I think what came next, in the late 30s and after the war in the 40s - I think that was a result of his complete loneliness on top of the world. Nobody would argue with him any more.”
Hafizullah Amin on Joseph Stalin
“Comrade Stalin showed us how to build socialism in a backward country: it's painful to begin with, but afterwards everything turns out just fine.”
Henry H. Arnold on Joseph Stalin 2 quotes
“During that meeting, King told us, when they were talking about what was going to happen to the Germans after the war, Stalin had said out of a clear sky: "I know 60,000 German officers I am going to shoot!" Thereupon Churchill arose, cigar in hand, and paced back and forth across the room saying such a thing could not be; it was not Christian; we were civilized people; it was against the laws of civilized warfare to shoot 60,000 officers! Back and forth walked Churchill, while Stalin sat at the table, not saying a word. Finally, Churchill returned to his place, and after everything had quieted down, Stalin once more, through his interpreter, said, "I know 60,000 German officers I am going to shoot after the war is over!" Apparently Stalin understood some English, although he would not admit it. Whether he could speak English I did not know, nor was I ever able to find out.”
Henri Barbusse on Joseph Stalin 2 quotes
“His history is a series of victories over a series of tremendous difficulties. Since 1917, not a single year of his career has passed without his having done something which would have made any other man famous. He is a man of iron. The name by which he is known describes it: the word Stalin means "steel" in Russian. He is as strong and yet as flexible as steel. His power lies in his formidable intelligence, the breadth of his knowledge, the amazing orderliness of his mind, his passion for precision, his inexorable spirit of progress, the rapidity, sureness and intensity of his decisions, and his constant care to choose the right men.”
Tony Benn on Joseph Stalin
“People at the top do not want to share their power. They've always got some marvellous reason: I'm following my religion; I'm following the laws of economics. Even Stalin: I'm representing the vanguard of the working class, so please don't cause trouble. That is the battle that every generation has, and yet we mustn't be pessimistic about it...”
Geoffrey Blainey on Joseph Stalin
“The present viewpoint is that Stalin proved to be the most resolute leader, that the Soviet Union exerted undue influence in reshaping the map of postwar Europe, and that a war purportedly begun to defend the independence of small European nations ended up by sacrificing them. The question — did Stalin outwit and outjostle Roosevelt and Churchill — will remain one of the enigmas of the 20th century.”
H. N. Brailsford on Joseph Stalin
Writing at the dawn of WWII, H.N. Brailsford, a prominent socialist intellectual, reluctantly condemns Stalin's Russia as a brutal, totalitarian state betraying socialist ideals.
“Stalin...[has] compelled us to pass the judgement we had hitherto refused to register. His Russia is a totalitarian state, like another, as brutal towards the rights of others, as careless of its plighted word. If this man ever understood the international creed of socialism, he long ago forgot it. In this land the absolute power has wrought its customary effects of corruption.”
Nikolai Bukharin on Joseph Stalin
“'Stalin is a Genghis Khan, an unscrupulous intriguer, who sacrifices everything else to the preservation of power ... He changes his theories according to whom he needs to get rid of next.'”
E. H. Carr on Joseph Stalin
“Stalin hailed as triumphs, and converted into a system, compromises, concessions and abuses which Lenin, if he had been driven to accept them, would have treated as harsh and temporary sacrifices.”
Fidel Castro on Joseph Stalin
“I believe Stalin made big mistakes but also showed great wisdom. In my opinion, blaming Stalin for everything that occurred in the Soviet Union would be historical simplism, because no man by himself could have created certain conditions. It would be the same as giving Stalin all the credit for what the USSR once was. That is impossible! I believe that the efforts of millions and millions of heroic people contributed to the USSR's development and to its relevant role in the world in favor of hundreds of millions of people.”
Aimé Césaire on Joseph Stalin
“The details supplied by Khrushchev on Stalin's methods ... lead us to believe in the existence in these countries of a veritable state capitalism, exploiting the working class in a manner not very different from the way the working class is used in capitalist countries.”
Misattributed Quotes
Quotes mistakenly credited to Joseph Stalin
“We will hang the capitalists with the rope that they sell us.”
About Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; 21 December {9 December Old Style} 1879 – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He served as both General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941–1953). Despite initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he ultimately consolidated power to become the Soviet Union's dictator by the 1930s. A communist ideologically committed to the Leninist interpretation of Marxism, Stalin formalised these ideas as Marxism–Leninism while his own policies are known as Stalinism. He was the father of Svetlana Alliluyeva.