---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lenin is said to have declared that the…"
description: "\"“Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the Capitalist System was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of﻿ inflation, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_capitalist_lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the_2308015.jpg"
---

#  Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to…

![“Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the Capitalist System was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of﻿ inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method they not only confiscate, but…” quote by John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_capitalist_lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the_2308015.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_capitalist_lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the_2308015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_capitalist_lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the_2308015.jpg)

> ““Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the Capitalist System was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of﻿ inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method they not only confiscate, but they confiscate arbitrarily; and, while the process impoverishes many, it actually enriches some.””

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

## About This Quote

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

Inflation erodes money value, allowing governments to seize wealth covertly, hurting many while enriching a few.

**In simple terms:** Inflation lets governments steal wealth unnoticed.

Key Takeaway

Guard against inflation to protect wealth.

Themes

economics politics wealth inflation government

Mood

cautious critical analytical

Type

political economic historical

When to use this quote

- personal finance
- policy advocacy
- investment strategy
- public awareness
- tax planning

Key Concepts

Monetary policy wealth redistribution economic inequality

Questions to Reflect On

- How does inflation affect different socioeconomic groups?
- What policies can limit hidden wealth confiscation?

A Different Perspective

Inflation can also stimulate economic activity if managed carefully.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-best-way-to-destroy-the-capitalist-system-is-to-debauch-the-2/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the Capitalist System was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the-best-way-to-destroy-the/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/the-best-way-to-destroy-the-capitalist-system-is-to-debauch-the/)

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

> [But in the years since the neoliberal project really has been stripped down to what was always its essence: not an economic project at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/but-in-the-years-since-the-neoliberal-project-really-has-been/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [Stripped of its academic jargon, the welfare state is nothing more than a mechanism by which governments confiscate the wealth of the productive members…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/stripped-of-its-academic-jargon-the-welfare-state-is-nothing-more/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [Capitalism has created a situation called scarcity. And that scarcity is not natural, it's socially induced. Along with that sense of scarcity, or feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/capitalism-has-created-a-situation-called-scarcity-and-that-scarcity/)

[Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/as-someone-from-the-working-class-i-was-always-interested-in-russia/)

[John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/)

> [For me, it is clear that we are currently in a period of structural crisis of capitalism going back to the 1970s, but deepening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bellamy-foster/for-me-it-is-clear-that-we-are-currently-in-a-period-of-structural/)

[John Bellamy Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bellamy-foster/)

> [“Capitalist cycle of profit. The rancher sells a cow for profit. The butcher sells cuts for profit. The restaurant sells meals for profit. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/capitalist-cycle-of-profit-the-rancher-sells-a-cow-for-profit-the/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [When I was young, I worked for a capitalist twelve hours a day and I was always tired. Now I work for myself twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/when-i-was-young-i-worked-for-a-capitalist-twelve-hours-a-day-and-i/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/)

[Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/)

> [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/)

[James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/)

> [As the variable capital always stays in the hands of the capitalist in some form or other, it cannot be claimed in any way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-the-variable-capital-always-stays-in-the-hands-of-the-capitalist/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/)

William Henry Pickering

## More by John Maynard Keynes

> [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [If you owe your bank manager a thousand pounds, you are at his mercy. If you owe him a million pounds, he is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/if-you-owe-your-bank-manager-a-thousand-pounds-you-are-at-his-mercy/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/there-is-no-subtler-no-surer-means-of-overturning-the-existing-basis/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [It has been pointed out already that no knowledge of probabilities, less in degree than certainty, helps us to know what conclusions are true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/it-has-been-pointed-out-already-that-no-knowledge-of-probabilities/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Everything is always decided for reasons other than the real merits of the case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/everything-is-always-decided-for-reasons-other-than-the-real-merits/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [In the long run we are all dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/in-the-long-run-we-are-all-dead/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [The power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the gradual encroachment of ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-power-of-vested-interests-is-vastly-exaggerated-compared-with-the/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [It is a good thing to make mistakes so long as you're found out quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/it-is-a-good-thing-to-make-mistakes-so-long-as-you-re-found-out/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [When the accumulation of wealth is no longer of high social importance, there will be great changes in the code of morals. We shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/when-the-accumulation-of-wealth-is-no-longer-of-high-social/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Of the maxims of orthodox finance none, surely, is more anti-social than the fetish of liquidity, the doctrine of that it is a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/of-the-maxims-of-orthodox-finance-none-surely-is-more-anti-social/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [The outstanding faults of the economic society in which we live are its failure to provide for full employment and its arbitrary and inequitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-outstanding-faults-of-the-economic-society-in-which-we-live-are/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [I conceive, therefore, that a somewhat comprehensive socialisation of investment will prove the means of securing an approximation to full employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/i-conceive-therefore-that-a-somewhat-comprehensive-socialisation-of/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/capitalism-is-the-astounding-belief-that-the-most-wickedest-of-men/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Economics is a very dangerous science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/economics-is-a-very-dangerous-science/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Whenever you save five shillings you put a man out of work for a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/whenever-you-save-five-shillings-you-put-a-man-out-of-work-for-a-day/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

[Explore all 246 John Maynard Keynes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

## More Capitalist quotes

> [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/)

William Henry Pickering

> [As the variable capital always stays in the hands of the capitalist in some form or other, it cannot be claimed in any way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-the-variable-capital-always-stays-in-the-hands-of-the-capitalist/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/)

[James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/)

> [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/)

[Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/)

> [When I was young, I worked for a capitalist twelve hours a day and I was always tired. Now I work for myself twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/when-i-was-young-i-worked-for-a-capitalist-twelve-hours-a-day-and-i/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [“Capitalist cycle of profit. The rancher sells a cow for profit. The butcher sells cuts for profit. The restaurant sells meals for profit. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/capitalist-cycle-of-profit-the-rancher-sells-a-cow-for-profit-the/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [For me, it is clear that we are currently in a period of structural crisis of capitalism going back to the 1970s, but deepening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bellamy-foster/for-me-it-is-clear-that-we-are-currently-in-a-period-of-structural/)

[John Bellamy Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bellamy-foster/)

> [As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/as-someone-from-the-working-class-i-was-always-interested-in-russia/)

[John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [Capitalism has created a situation called scarcity. And that scarcity is not natural, it's socially induced. Along with that sense of scarcity, or feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/capitalism-has-created-a-situation-called-scarcity-and-that-scarcity/)

[Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/)

> [... what we should be looking for is fresh ideas of how we make moral decisions about our dealings with one another, economic, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/what-we-should-be-looking-for-is-fresh-ideas-of-how-we-make-moral/)

Davis McCaughey

> [When you come from a family of communists and you go through your teenage rebellion, what's the best way of rebelling from a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/when-you-come-from-a-family-of-communists-and-you-go-through-your/)

[Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/)

> [The Enron scandal calls into question the integrity of the entire capitalist system, which previously we assumed was based on honest, straightforward greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-achenbach/the-enron-scandal-calls-into-question-the-integrity-of-the-entire/)

[Joel Achenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-achenbach/)

> [Human beings were behaving as human beings and not as cogs in the capitalist machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/human-beings-were-behaving-as-human-beings-and-not-as-cogs-in-the/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Beautiful women must think about their beauty as capitalists think about their investments or politicians about their majorities; it is all they have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/beautiful-women-must-think-about-their-beauty-as-capitalists-think/)

[Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/)

Browse all 968 Capitalist quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the Capitalist System was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of﻿ inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method they not only confiscate, but they confiscate arbitrarily; and, while the process impoverishes many, it actually enriches some.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Maynard Keynes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the-best-way-to-destroy-the-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Capitalist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the-best-way-to-destroy-the-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_capitalist_lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the_2308015.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_capitalist_lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the_2308015.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_capitalist_lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the_2308015.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the Capitalist System was to debauch the…” — John Maynard Keynes",
                "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": "John Maynard Keynes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Lenin is said to have declared...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the-best-way-to-destroy-the-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/lenin-is-said-to-have-declared-that-the-best-way-to-destroy-the-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
