Chiefs Quote by Mao Zedong
“Reading is learning, but applying is also learning and the more important kind of learning at that. Our chief method is to learn warfare through warfare. A person who has had no opportunity to go to school can also learn warfare - he can learn through fighting in war. A revolutionary war is a mass undertaking; it is often not a matter of first learning and then doing, but of doing and then learning, for doing is itself learning.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: On Protracted War, 1938
Learning through direct experience, especially in conflict, is as vital as theoretical study; practice and theory reinforce each other.
In simple terms: Practice teaches as much as study.
Key Takeaway
Blend theory with hands‑on experience.
Themes
education
warfare
learning
action
Mood
pragmatic
inspirational
Type
strategic
motivational
When to use this quote
- military training
- political activism
- skill development
Key Concepts
experiential learning
military strategy
revolutionary praxis
Questions to Reflect On
- What risks arise when learning is done solely through conflict?
- How can theory temper reckless action?
A Different Perspective
Practical learning can be dangerous without ethical guidance.
![“In the struggle to defend the legacy of Leninism . . . [Stalin] proved himself to be an outstanding Marxist-Leninist fighter. . . . Stalin's works should, as before, be seriously studied . . . [to] see what is correct and what is not.” quote by Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2af/mao-zedong-1123_fighter_in-the-struggle-to-defend-the-legacy-of_67510.jpg)
