---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While Zinoviev is in the majority he is…"
description: "\"While Zinoviev is in the majority he is for iron discipline… When he is in the minority... he is against it.\" — Anastas Mikoyan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/anastas-mikoyan-48617_discipline_while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is_1638792.jpg"
---

#  While Zinoviev is in the majority he is for iron…

![“While Zinoviev is in the majority he is for iron discipline… When he is in the minority... he is against it.” quote by Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/anastas-mikoyan-48617_discipline_while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is_1638792.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/anastas-mikoyan-48617_discipline_while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is_1638792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/anastas-mikoyan-48617_discipline_while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is_1638792.jpg)

> “While Zinoviev is in the majority he is for iron discipline… When he is in the minority... he is against it.”

[Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When in power, he enforces strict discipline; when out of power, he opposes it.

**In simple terms:** He changes stance with his power level.

Key Takeaway

Beware of opportunistic principles.

Themes

politics principles power dynamics

Mood

skeptical thoughtful

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy debate
- leadership training
- ethical discussion
- historical analysis

Key Concepts

authoritarianism political opportunism

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do leaders change views?
- Can principles stay constant?

A Different Perspective

The quote may ignore nuanced reasons for stance shifts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Discipline Minority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline-minority-548799/) [Iron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron/) [Iron Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron-discipline-548797/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [Majority Iron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority-iron-548798/) [Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minorities/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Zinoviev Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zinoviev-majority-548796/)

## Related quotes

> [The Bolsheviks could not have retained power for two and a half months, let alone two and a half years, without the most rigorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/the-bolsheviks-could-not-have-retained-power-for-two-and-a-half/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [There will have to be rigid and iron discipline before we achieve anything great and enduring, and that discipline will not come by mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/there-will-have-to-be-rigid-and-iron-discipline-before-we-achieve/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [If the self-discipline of the free cannot match the iron discipline of the mailed fist, in economic, political, scientific, and all the other kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/if-the-self-discipline-of-the-free-cannot-match-the-iron-discipline/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [For winning Swaraj one requires iron discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/for-winning-swaraj-one-requires-iron-discipline/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [ “...\[I\]ron discipline does not preclude but presupposes criticism and contest of opinion within the Party. Least of all does it mean that discipline must… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/i-ron-discipline-does-not-preclude-but-presupposes-criticism-and/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [“Soldiers must be first treated in the first instance with humanity, but kept under control by means of iron discipline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/soldiers-must-be-first-treated-in-the-first-instance-with-humanity/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [It is important to remember when making jokes about women, that they are not a minority. They weren't captured on another continent and brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-is-important-to-remember-when-making-jokes-about-women-that-they/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [People are not fundamentally bad. It only takes the smallest of correctives to take care of that tiny minority that wants to disrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/people-are-not-fundamentally-bad-it-only-takes-the-smallest-of/)

[Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/)

> [The ultimate goal of radical politics is gradually to displace the limit of social exclusions, empowering the excluded agents (sexual and ethnic minorities) by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-ultimate-goal-of-radical-politics-is-gradually-to-displace-the/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [The idea of a bowed and terrified liberal minority during McCarthy's 'reign of terror' is poppycock. Then as now, all elite opinion was against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-idea-of-a-bowed-and-terrified-liberal-minority-during-mccarthy-s/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [And one day our grandkids will ask us, 'What was it like to be a minority?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-haubegger/and-one-day-our-grandkids-will-ask-us-what-was-it-like-to-be-a/)

[Christy Haubegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-haubegger/)

> [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/)

[Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

## More by Anastas Mikoyan

> [Stalin's methods did not help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/stalin-s-methods-did-not-help/)

[Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

> [If Stalin could only see us now, with the American Ambassador here, he'd turn in his grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/if-stalin-could-only-see-us-now-with-the-american-ambassador-here-he/)

[Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

> [All peoples enjoy freedom, and freedom for the development of their culture... There is no Jewish problem in the Soviet Union at all... I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/all-peoples-enjoy-freedom-and-freedom-for-the-development-of-their/)

[Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

> [We are watching the Germans closely; we are not forgetting what they did to us during the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/we-are-watching-the-germans-closely-we-are-not-forgetting-what-they/)

[Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

> [We think we have got freedom of the press. When one millionaire has ten newspapers and ten million people have no newspapers - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/we-think-we-have-got-freedom-of-the-press-when-one-millionaire-has/)

[Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

> [The principle of collective leadership is elementary for a proletarian party and for a party of the Lenin type. Nevertheless, we must emphasize this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/the-principle-of-collective-leadership-is-elementary-for-a/)

[Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

> [Like Lenin Comrade Stalin is a leader of a higher type. He is a mountain eagle, without fear in the fight, who boldly leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/like-lenin-comrade-stalin-is-a-leader-of-a-higher-type-he-is-a/)

[Anastas Mikoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

[Explore all 8 Anastas Mikoyan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/)

## More Discipline quotes

> [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/)

[Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/)

> [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/)

[Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/)

> [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/)

[W.J. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-turner/)

> [You can't have the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing: Private Victories proceed Public Victories. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-can-t-have-the-fruits-without-the-roots-it-s-the-principle-of/)

[Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/)

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/)

[Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/)

> [I'm always writing. I'm an obsessive. It's not because I'm a disciplined person. It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/)

[Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [The undisciplined child enters into discipline by working in the company of others; not being told he is naughty.” “Discipline is, therefore, primarily a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-undisciplined-child-enters-into-discipline-by-working-in-the/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/)

[Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/)

> [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/)

[Burne Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burne-hogarth/)

> [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/)

[Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/)

> [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/)

[Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/)

> [Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/cheerfulness-in-most-cheerful-people-is-the-rich-and-satisfying/)

[Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/)

> [Stay in your seat come times of trouble. Its only people who jump off the roller coaster who get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/stay-in-your-seat-come-times-of-trouble-its-only-people-who-jump-off/)

[Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/)

[Browse all 5,597 Discipline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "While Zinoviev is in the majority he is for iron discipline… When he is in the minority... he is against it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anastas Mikoyan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is-for-iron-discipline-when-he/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Discipline"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is-for-iron-discipline-when-he/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/anastas-mikoyan-48617_discipline_while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is_1638792.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/anastas-mikoyan-48617_discipline_while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is_1638792.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/anastas-mikoyan-48617_discipline_while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is_1638792.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“While Zinoviev is in the majority he is for iron discipline… When he is in the minority... he is against it.” — Anastas Mikoyan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "Anastas Mikoyan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastas-mikoyan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "While Zinoviev is in the majority...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is-for-iron-discipline-when-he/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastas-mikoyan/while-zinoviev-is-in-the-majority-he-is-for-iron-discipline-when-he/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
