---
title: "4 Characteristics Quotes By Leon Trotsky"
description: "4 Characteristics quotes by Leon Trotsky. Plus more from Leon Trotsky and more Characteristics sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-t_33931.jpg"
---

> [ \[Joseph\] Stalin closes the exposition of these \[Leon Trotsky\] ideas with the words, "Such are in general the characteristic features of \[Vladimir\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-these-leon-trotsky-ideas-with/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-t_33931.jpg)

> [As a general rule, man strives to avoid labor. Love for work is not at all an inborn characteristic: it is created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/as-a-general-rule-man-strives-to-avoid-labor-love-for-work-is-not-at/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/leon-trotsky-2558_animal_as-a-general-rule-man-strives-to-avoid-l_467131.jpg)

> [ Can and must! The proclamation of this new conception of \[Joseph Stalin\] is closed by the same words, "Such are in general… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/can-and-must-the-proclamation-of-this-new-conception-of-joseph-stalin/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e1/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_can-and-must-the-proclamation-of-this-ne_2594181.jpg)

> [ Transcending class distinctions, the speaker \[Stalin\] portrays the relation between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat as a mere division of labor. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/transcending-class-distinctions-the-speaker-stalin-portrays-the/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/leon-trotsky-2558_achieve_transcending-class-distinctions-the-spea_2631267.jpg)

## Other authors on Characteristics

## More by Leon Trotsky

> [The dialectic is neither fiction nor mysticism, but a science of the forms of our thinking insofar as it is not limited to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-dialectic-is-neither-fiction-nor-mysticism-but-a-science-of-the/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [ \[Joseph\] Stalin closes the exposition of these \[Leon Trotsky\] ideas with the words, "Such are in general the characteristic features of \[Vladimir\] Lenin's conception… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-these-leon-trotsky-ideas-with/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [The creative union of the conscious with the unconscious is what one usually calls 'inspiration.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-creative-union-of-the-conscious-with-the-unconscious-is-what-one/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [Religions are illogical primitive ignorance. There is nothing as ridiculous and tragic as a religious government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/religions-are-illogical-primitive-ignorance-there-is-nothing-as/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [“As a battle cry against feudalism, the demand for democracy had a progressive character. As time went on, however, the metaphysics of natural law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/as-a-battle-cry-against-feudalism-the-demand-for-democracy-had-a/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [All the parties of capitalist society, all its moralists and all its sycophants will perish beneath the debris of the impending catastrophe. The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/all-the-parties-of-capitalist-society-all-its-moralists-and-all-its/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [What shall we call an "immediate possibility"? In 1923 the situation in Germany was profoundly revolutionary, but what was lacking for a victorious revolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/what-shall-we-call-an-immediate-possibility-in-1923-the-situation-in/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [The history of a revolution is for us first of all a history of the forcible entrance of the masses into the realm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-history-of-a-revolution-is-for-us-first-of-all-a-history-of-the/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [I wrote a study about this question, The Lessons of October, which served as a pretext for my elimination from the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/i-wrote-a-study-about-this-question-the-lessons-of-october-which/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [A program of "disarmament," while imperialist antagonisms survive, is the most pernicious of fictions. Even if it were realized by way of general agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/a-program-of-disarmament-while-imperialist-antagonisms-survive-is-the/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [ In Stalin each \[Soviet bureaucrat\] easily finds himself. But Stalin also finds in each one a small part of his own spirit. Stalin is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/in-stalin-each-soviet-bureaucrat-easily-finds-himself-but-stalin-also/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [As long as I breathe I hope. As long as I breathe I shall fight for the future, that radiant future, in which man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/as-long-as-i-breathe-i-hope-as-long-as-i-breathe-i-shall-fight-for/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [If we had had more time for discussion we should probably have made a great many more mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/if-we-had-had-more-time-for-discussion-we-should-probably-have-made-a/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [Is it possible to fulfill this task, is it possible to achieve the definite victory of Socialism in one country without the combined efforts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/is-it-possible-to-fulfill-this-task-is-it-possible-to-achieve-the/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

> [The motive force of history is truth and not lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-motive-force-of-history-is-truth-and-not-lies/)

[Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/leon-trotsky/#itemlist",
            "name": "4 Characteristics Quotes By Leon Trotsky",
            "numberOfItems": 4,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "[Joseph] Stalin closes the exposition of these [Leon Trotsky] ideas with the words, \"Such are in general the characteristic features of [Vladimir] Lenin's conception of the proletarian revolution.\"",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Leon Trotsky"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-these-leon-trotsky-ideas-with/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-t_33931.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-t_33931.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-t_33931.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“[Joseph] Stalin closes the exposition of these [Leon Trotsky] ideas with the words, \"Such are in general the…” — Leon Trotsky",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "As a general rule, man strives to avoid labor. Love for work is not at all an inborn characteristic: it is created by economic pressure and social education. One may even say that man is a fairly lazy animal. It is on this quality, in reality, that is founded to a considerable extent all human progress; because if man did not strive to expend his energy economically, did not seek to receive the largest possible quantity of products in return for a small quantity of energy, there would have been no technical development or social culture.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Leon Trotsky"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/as-a-general-rule-man-strives-to-avoid-labor-love-for-work-is-not-at/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/leon-trotsky-2558_animal_as-a-general-rule-man-strives-to-avoid-l_467131.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/leon-trotsky-2558_animal_as-a-general-rule-man-strives-to-avoid-l_467131.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/leon-trotsky-2558_animal_as-a-general-rule-man-strives-to-avoid-l_467131.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“As a general rule, man strives to avoid labor. Love for work is not at all an inborn characteristic: it is…” — Leon Trotsky",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Can and must! The proclamation of this new conception of [Joseph Stalin] is closed by the same words, \"Such are in general the characteristic features of Lenin's conception of the proletarian revolution.\" In the course of a single year Stalin ascribed to [Vladimir] Lenin two directly opposed conceptions of the fundamental question of socialism. The first version represents the real tradition of the party; the second took shape in Stalin's mind only after the death of Lenin, in the course of the struggle against \"Trotskyism\".",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Leon Trotsky"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/can-and-must-the-proclamation-of-this-new-conception-of-joseph-stalin/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e1/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_can-and-must-the-proclamation-of-this-ne_2594181.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e1/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_can-and-must-the-proclamation-of-this-ne_2594181.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e1/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_can-and-must-the-proclamation-of-this-ne_2594181.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Can and must! The proclamation of this new conception of [Joseph Stalin] is closed by the same words, \"Such…” — Leon Trotsky",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Transcending class distinctions, the speaker [Stalin] portrays the relation between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat as a mere division of labor. The workers and soldiers achieve the revolution, Guchkov and Miliukov \"fortify\" it.[...] This superintendent's approach to the historical process is exactly characteristic of the leaders of Menshevism, this handing out of instructions to various classes and then patronizingly criticizing their fulfillment.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Leon Trotsky"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/transcending-class-distinctions-the-speaker-stalin-portrays-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/leon-trotsky-2558_achieve_transcending-class-distinctions-the-spea_2631267.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/leon-trotsky-2558_achieve_transcending-class-distinctions-the-spea_2631267.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/leon-trotsky-2558_achieve_transcending-class-distinctions-the-spea_2631267.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Transcending class distinctions, the speaker [Stalin] portrays the relation between the bourgeoisie and the…” — Leon Trotsky",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/leon-trotsky/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/leon-trotsky/",
            "name": "Characteristics Quotes by Leon Trotsky",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/leon-trotsky/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/leon-trotsky-2558_characteristics_joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-t_33931.jpg"
            },
            "description": "4 Characteristics quotes by Leon Trotsky. Plus more from Leon Trotsky and more Characteristics sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/leon-trotsky/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/leon-trotsky/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Characteristics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Leon Trotsky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/leon-trotsky/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```