--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never read Karl Marx." description: "\"I never read Karl Marx.\" — Jean-Luc Godard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/jean-luc-godard-2128_karl-marx_i-never-read-karl-marx-2042599_2042599.jpg" --- # I never read Karl Marx. ![“I never read Karl Marx.” quote by Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/jean-luc-godard-2128_karl-marx_i-never-read-karl-marx-2042599_2042599.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/jean-luc-godard-2128_karl-marx_i-never-read-karl-marx-2042599_2042599.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/jean-luc-godard-2128_karl-marx_i-never-read-karl-marx-2042599_2042599.jpg) > “I never read Karl Marx.” [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Admitting lack of familiarity with Marx suggests a selective engagement with political theory. **In simple terms:** Not reading Marx. Key Takeaway Explore diverse ideas. Themes education politics self-awareness Mood thoughtful provocative Type critical introspective When to use this quote - academic study - political activism - media analysis - personal development Key Concepts critical theory intellectual curiosity ideological bias Questions to Reflect On - Why avoid certain thinkers? - What perspectives are you missing? A Different Perspective Avoiding complex ideas can limit understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karl-marx/) [Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marx/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Read Karl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-karl-3809939/) ## Related quotes > [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [The whole gospel of Karl Marx can be summed up in a single sentence: Hate the man who is better off than you are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/the-whole-gospel-of-karl-marx-can-be-summed-up-in-a-single-sentence/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [I'm one of those people that think Thomas Edison and the light bulb changed the world more than Karl Marx ever did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-m-one-of-those-people-that-think-thomas-edison-and-the-light-bulb/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Meanwhile, the government of the United States was behaving almost exactly as Karl Marx described a capitalist state: pretending neutrality to maintain order, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/meanwhile-the-government-of-the-united-states-was-behaving-almost/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“In each case the individuals made history-although,to adapt the thought of Karl Marx,not under circumstances of their choosing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kershaw/in-each-case-the-individuals-made-history-although-to-adapt-the/) [Ian Kershaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kershaw/) > [“The letters of Karl Marx make frequent reference to the violent quarrels between himself and his parents; the letters from Karl’s parents complain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-cleon-skousen/the-letters-of-karl-marx-make-frequent-reference-to-the-violent/) [W. Cleon Skousen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-cleon-skousen/) > [Karl Marx was the foremost hater and most incessant whiner in the history of Western Civilization. He was a spoiled, overeducated brat who never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-north/karl-marx-was-the-foremost-hater-and-most-incessant-whiner-in-the/) [Gary North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-north/) > [If being rightwing is thinking that Karl Marx's doctrine was a catastrophe for humanity, then I'm rightwing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/if-being-rightwing-is-thinking-that-karl-marx-s-doctrine-was-a/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Karl Marx, a visionary, figured out that you can control a slave much better by convincing him he is an employee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/karl-marx-a-visionary-figured-out-that-you-can-control-a-slave-much/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Could there be a better answer to the stupidity of Karl Marx than millions of workers individually sharing in the ownership of the means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/could-there-be-a-better-answer-to-the-stupidity-of-karl-marx-than/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I can't understand Karl Marx, so how can I be a Communist?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/i-can-t-understand-karl-marx-so-how-can-i-be-a-communist/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [Do you know who Karl Marx is? He is this strange little man, long dead, who lived his narrow little life, and somehow managed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anchee-min/do-you-know-who-karl-marx-is-he-is-this-strange-little-man-long-dead/) [Anchee Min](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anchee-min/) > [“The class struggle had a just motive, and Socialism at the beginning was in the right. What has happened is that instead of pursuing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-antonio-rivera/the-class-struggle-had-a-just-motive-and-socialism-at-the-beginning/) [José Antonio Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-antonio-rivera/) > [ I think \[Karl\] Marx, Pope John XXIII or Rosa Luxemburg \[had achieved the mode of existence\].But it would be useless to look at a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/i-think-karl-marx-pope-john-xxiii-or-rosa-luxemburg-had-achieved-the/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-sebestyen/men-make-their-own-history-but-they-do-not-make-it-just-as-they/) [Victor Sebestyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-sebestyen/) ## More by Jean-Luc Godard > [Art is not a reflection of reality, it is the reality of a reflection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/art-is-not-a-reflection-of-reality-it-is-the-reality-of-a-reflection/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I think I'm innocently representing a certain belief in motion pictures, and, well OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-think-i-m-innocently-representing-a-certain-belief-in-motion/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [Film is truth 24 times a second, and every cut is a lie,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/film-is-truth-24-times-a-second-and-every-cut-is-a-lie/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [Why all these signs around us that make me doubt language and submerge me in meanings, drowning reality instead of extracting it from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/why-all-these-signs-around-us-that-make-me-doubt-language-and/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [There is no such thing as intellectual property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/there-is-no-such-thing-as-intellectual-property/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [“Communism existed once, during two 45 minute half-times, when Honved, from Budapest, won over England by 6-3. The English played individually, and the Hungarians, collectively.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/communism-existed-once-during-two-45-minute-half-times-when-honved/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [Language is the house that man lives in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/language-is-the-house-that-man-lives-in/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I don't think you should feel about a film. You should feel about a woman, not a movie. You can't kiss a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-don-t-think-you-should-feel-about-a-film-you-should-feel-about-a/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/all-you-need-for-a-movie-is-a-gun-and-a-girl/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I'm satisfied to have an ordinary success and an ordinary life and an ordinary income. Later, I don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-m-satisfied-to-have-an-ordinary-success-and-an-ordinary-life-and-an/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [We are all older and more tired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/we-are-all-older-and-more-tired/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I've always said that to make movies, to make images and sound, is possible by one way or another. And it has not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-ve-always-said-that-to-make-movies-to-make-images-and-sound-is/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [What is your greatest ambition in life?' 'To become immortal... and then die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/what-is-your-greatest-ambition-in-life-to-become-immortal-and-then-die/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [“All you need for a movie is a gun and a cat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/all-you-need-for-a-movie-is-a-gun-and-a-cat/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [There is a problem in pretending I can still control my destiny in the commercial market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/there-is-a-problem-in-pretending-i-can-still-control-my-destiny-in/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) [Explore all 183 Jean-Luc Godard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) ## More Marx quotes > [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [Marxism is like a classical building that followed the Renaissance; beautiful in its way, but incapable of growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/marxism-is-like-a-classical-building-that-followed-the-renaissance/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [Marx saw exploitation in terms of the rewards of human labor, but we can see it in terms of all the values of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/marx-saw-exploitation-in-terms-of-the-rewards-of-human-labor-but-we/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [Marx, however imperfectly he worked out the details, set himself the task of discovering the law of motion of capitalism, and if there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/marx-however-imperfectly-he-worked-out-the-details-set-himself-the/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [“This is possibly the most revolutionary idea Marx ever had: that the reduction of labour to a minimum could produce a kind of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mason/this-is-possibly-the-most-revolutionary-idea-marx-ever-had-that-the/) [Paul Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mason/) > [Marx did not recognize that our desire to connect with a transcendent power runs even deeper than our drive for economic satisfaction. Each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-klein/marx-did-not-recognize-that-our-desire-to-connect-with-a-transcendent/) [Jeffrey Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-klein/) > [For Marx, 'pure' economic theory, that is economic theory which abstracts from a specific social structure, is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-mandel/for-marx-pure-economic-theory-that-is-economic-theory-which-abstracts/) [Ernest Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-mandel/) > [Liberalism makes this mistake in regard to private property and Marxism makes it in regard to socialized property... The Marxist illusion is partly derived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/liberalism-makes-this-mistake-in-regard-to-private-property-and/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [We turn to Marx, therefore, not because he is infallible, but because he is inescapable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-heilbroner/we-turn-to-marx-therefore-not-because-he-is-infallible-but-because-he/) [Robert Heilbroner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-heilbroner/) > [It is therefore utterly false to say that Marx revokes the law of value as far as individual commodities are concerned, and maintains it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-hiferding/it-is-therefore-utterly-false-to-say-that-marx-revokes-the-law-of/) [Rudolf Hiferding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-hiferding/) > [The Bolsheviks started not just on the killing of private property; they were trying to abolish money itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/the-bolsheviks-started-not-just-on-the-killing-of-private-property/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [ I think \[Karl\] Marx, Pope John XXIII or Rosa Luxemburg \[had achieved the mode of existence\].But it would be useless to look at a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/i-think-karl-marx-pope-john-xxiii-or-rosa-luxemburg-had-achieved-the/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“The class struggle had a just motive, and Socialism at the beginning was in the right. What has happened is that instead of pursuing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-antonio-rivera/the-class-struggle-had-a-just-motive-and-socialism-at-the-beginning/) [José Antonio Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-antonio-rivera/) > [“From Marx until today, victim groups have played an indispensable role in Leftist success. Without victim groups, the Left cannot succeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/from-marx-until-today-victim-groups-have-played-an-indispensable-role/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“. . . it is a mistake to think that Marxism is simply a type of interpretation that takes the economic "sequence" as that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredric-jameson/it-is-a-mistake-to-think-that-marxism-is-simply-a-type-of/) [Fredric Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredric-jameson/) [Browse all 334 Marx quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marx/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never read Karl Marx.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Luc Godard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-never-read-karl-marx/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Marx" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-never-read-karl-marx/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/jean-luc-godard-2128_karl-marx_i-never-read-karl-marx-2042599_2042599.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/jean-luc-godard-2128_karl-marx_i-never-read-karl-marx-2042599_2042599.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/jean-luc-godard-2128_karl-marx_i-never-read-karl-marx-2042599_2042599.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never read Karl Marx.” — Jean-Luc Godard", "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": "Jean-Luc Godard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I never read Karl Marx.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-never-read-karl-marx/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-never-read-karl-marx/#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 } } ] } ```