---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we sink, we become a revolutionary…"
description: "\"When we sink, we become a revolutionary proletariat, the subordinate officers of all revolutionary parties; at the same time, when we rise, there rises..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/theodor-herzl-12888_officers_when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-p_2393900.jpg"
---

#  When we sink, we become a revolutionary proletariat, the…

![“When we sink, we become a revolutionary proletariat, the subordinate officers of all revolutionary parties; at the same time, when we rise, there rises also our terrible power of the purse.” quote by Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/theodor-herzl-12888_officers_when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-p_2393900.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/theodor-herzl-12888_officers_when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-p_2393900.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/theodor-herzl-12888_officers_when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-p_2393900.jpg)

> “When we sink, we become a revolutionary proletariat, the subordinate officers of all revolutionary parties; at the same time, when we rise, there rises also our terrible power of the purse.”

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

## About This Quote

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

When we lose power we become the oppressed masses, yet when we gain power we control resources.

**In simple terms:** Loss leads to oppression; gain leads to financial power.

Key Takeaway

Beware how power shifts with status.

Themes

power class economics revolution authority

Mood

critical reflective

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- political movements
- economic policy
- social activism

Key Concepts

class struggle resource control political dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does status affect moral responsibility?
- Can the oppressed become oppressors?

A Different Perspective

Power can corrupt even the oppressed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Officers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officers/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Proletariat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proletariat/) [Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary/)

## Related quotes

> [This independent Negro movement is able to intervene with terrific force upon the general social and political life of the nation, despite the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-l-r-james/this-independent-negro-movement-is-able-to-intervene-with-terrific/)

[C. L. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-l-r-james/)

> [A political leader who desires to be useful to the revolutionary proletariat must be able to distinguish concrete cases of compromises that are inexcusable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/a-political-leader-who-desires-to-be-useful-to-the-revolutionary/)

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

> [Terror, as the demonstration of the will and strength of the working class, is historically justified, precisely because the proletariat was able thereby to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/terror-as-the-demonstration-of-the-will-and-strength-of-the-working/)

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

> [The international proletariat first appeared on the scene in the early Thirties of the nineteenth century, and its first great action was the French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-l-r-james/the-international-proletariat-first-appeared-on-the-scene-in-the/)

[C. L. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-l-r-james/)

> [“When the proletariat declares the dissolution of the hitherto existing world order, it merely declares the secret of its own existence, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/when-the-proletariat-declares-the-dissolution-of-the-hitherto/)

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

> [If the Revolution has the right to destroy bridges and art monuments whenever necessary, it will stop still less from laying its hand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/if-the-revolution-has-the-right-to-destroy-bridges-and-art-monuments/)

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

> [This combat between proletariat and plutocracy is, after all, itself a civil war. Two inferiorities struggle for the privilege of polluting the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/this-combat-between-proletariat-and-plutocracy-is-after-all-itself-a/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [ “To the Jacobins of this epoch \[the French Revolution\], as well as to those of our times, this popular entity constitutes a superior personality… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-le-bon/to-the-jacobins-of-this-epoch-the-french-revolution-as-well-as-to/)

[Gustave Le Bon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-le-bon/)

> [My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood… Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/my-nostrils-dilate-while-savoring-the-acrid-odor-of-gunpowder-and/)

[Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/)

> [“...the working classes—that motor of social transformation which Marx increasingly stipulated for the role of the proletariat; the dispossessed and alienated revolutionary vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-nettl/the-working-classes-that-motor-of-social-transformation-which-marx/)

J. P. Nettl

> [The book that really, really shaped my politics and has forever is Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon," which is a novel based on terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/the-book-that-really-really-shaped-my-politics-and-has-forever-is/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [The class struggle necessarily leads to the dictatorship of the proletariat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-class-struggle-necessarily-leads-to-the-dictatorship-of-the/)

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

> [“The Italian philosopher Paolo Virno says we have moved from having a “proletariat”—a solid block of manual workers with jobs—to a “precariat,” a shifting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-hari/the-italian-philosopher-paolo-virno-says-we-have-moved-from-having-a/)

[Johann Hari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-hari/)

> [The dictatorship of the proletariat and the leadership of the Marxist-Leninist party are indispensable conditions for the triumph of the Socialist revolution and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/the-dictatorship-of-the-proletariat-and-the-leadership-of-the-marxist/)

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

> [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/)

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

## More by Theodor Herzl

> [Dream and deed are not as different as many think. All the deeds of men are dreams at first, and become dreams in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/dream-and-deed-are-not-as-different-as-many-think-all-the-deeds-of/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [I believe I understand anti-Semitism which is a very complex movement. I see it as a Jew, but without hatred or fear. I recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/i-believe-i-understand-anti-semitism-which-is-a-very-complex-movement/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [I will give you my definition of a nation, and you can add the adjective 'Jewish.' A Nation is, in my mind, an historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/i-will-give-you-my-definition-of-a-nation-and-you-can-add-the/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [“We believe that salvation is to be found in wholesome work in a beloved land. Work will provide our people with the bread of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/we-believe-that-salvation-is-to-be-found-in-wholesome-work-in-a/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [It is essential that the sufferings of Jews become worse this will assist in realization of our plans I have an excellent idea I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/it-is-essential-that-the-sufferings-of-jews-become-worse-this-will/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [The Jews who will it shall achieve their State. We shall live at last as free men on our own soil, and in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/the-jews-who-will-it-shall-achieve-their-state-we-shall-live-at-last/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [“If you will it, it's not a dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/if-you-will-it-it-s-not-a-dream/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [Truly we have had enough experience with sufferance and protection which could be revoked at will. Consequently, the only reasonable Course of action is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/truly-we-have-had-enough-experience-with-sufferance-and-protection/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [Realists are, as a rule, only men in the rut of routine who are incapable of transcending a narrow circle of antiquated notions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/realists-are-as-a-rule-only-men-in-the-rut-of-routine-who-are/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [Our first object is... the obtaining of sovereignty, assured by international law, over a portion of the globe sufficiently large to satisfy our just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/our-first-object-is-the-obtaining-of-sovereignty-assured-by/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [Nothing prevents us from being and remaining the exponents of a united humanity, when we have a country of our own. To fulfill this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/nothing-prevents-us-from-being-and-remaining-the-exponents-of-a/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [If anyone thinks that Jews can steal into the land of their fathers, he is deceiving either himself or others. Nowhere is the coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/if-anyone-thinks-that-jews-can-steal-into-the-land-of-their-fathers/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [We are organizing Jewry for its coming destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/we-are-organizing-jewry-for-its-coming-destiny/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [Zionism demands a publicly recognized and legally secured homeland in Palestine for the Jewish people. This platform is unchangeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/zionism-demands-a-publicly-recognized-and-legally-secured-homeland-in/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [Those of us who are today prepared to hazard our lives for the cause would regret having raised a finger, if we were able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/those-of-us-who-are-today-prepared-to-hazard-our-lives-for-the-cause/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

[Explore all 52 Theodor Herzl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

## More Officers quotes

> [There was a man named Robert Dear who in court said he was a warrior for the babies, whose ex-wife talked about his Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/there-was-a-man-named-robert-dear-who-in-court-said-he-was-a-warrior/)

[Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/)

> [I've never struggled with that at all. In the state of Texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/i-ve-never-struggled-with-that-at-all-in-the-state-of-texas-if-you/)

[Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/)

> [Thankfully the rest of the world assumed that the Irish were crazy, a theory that the Irish themselves did nothing to debunk. They had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/thankfully-the-rest-of-the-world-assumed-that-the-irish-were-crazy-a/)

[Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/)

> [Security is a component of everyday life that one spending time in Washington, D.C., gets accustomed to. Metal detectors, police vehicle barriers and heavily-armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-crapo/security-is-a-component-of-everyday-life-that-one-spending-time-in/)

[Mike Crapo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-crapo/)

> [We need to rebuild bonds of trust between our police officers and our communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-need-to-rebuild-bonds-of-trust-between-our-police-officers-and-our/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [As an active member of the Air Force, Army and Mine Warfare Caucuses, I meet with enlisted personnel and officers on a regular basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-boyd/as-an-active-member-of-the-air-force-army-and-mine-warfare-caucuses-i/)

[Allen Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-boyd/)

> [One of my officers said to me that Trinidad and Tobago is seen like an ATM card... you come in with the card and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamla-persad-bissessar/one-of-my-officers-said-to-me-that-trinidad-and-tobago-is-seen-like/)

[Kamla Persad-Bissessar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamla-persad-bissessar/)

> [Reading isn't an occupation we encourage among police officers. We try to keep the paperwork down to a minimum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-orton/reading-isn-t-an-occupation-we-encourage-among-police-officers-we-try/)

[Joe Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-orton/)

> [He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/he-has-erected-a-multitude-of-new-offices-and-sent-hither-swarms-of/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [My mother-in-law must be the probation officer I got for the crime I committed of marrying my husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/my-mother-in-law-must-be-the-probation-officer-i-got-for-the-crime-i/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/)

[Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/)

> [All images generated by imaging technology are viewed in a walled-off location not visible to the public. The officer assisting the passenger never sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-napolitano/all-images-generated-by-imaging-technology-are-viewed-in-a-walled-off/)

[Janet Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-napolitano/)

> [Officers conditioned to conformity in peacetime cannot be expected to behave boldly and flexibly in combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yingling/officers-conditioned-to-conformity-in-peacetime-cannot-be-expected-to/)

Paul Yingling

> [I have the appetite to do different roles that have different backdrops. I'd like to show that there's more to people sitting in cars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romany-malco/i-have-the-appetite-to-do-different-roles-that-have-different/)

[Romany Malco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romany-malco/)

> [I have now been an officer in this Church for a very long time. I am an old man who cannot deny the calendar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/i-have-now-been-an-officer-in-this-church-for-a-very-long-time-i-am/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

[Browse all 867 Officers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When we sink, we become a revolutionary proletariat, the subordinate officers of all revolutionary parties; at the same time, when we rise, there rises also our terrible power of the purse.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Theodor Herzl"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-proletariat-the-subordinate/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Officers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-proletariat-the-subordinate/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/theodor-herzl-12888_officers_when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-p_2393900.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/theodor-herzl-12888_officers_when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-p_2393900.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/theodor-herzl-12888_officers_when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-p_2393900.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When we sink, we become a revolutionary proletariat, the subordinate officers of all revolutionary parties…” — Theodor Herzl",
                "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": "Theodor Herzl",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When we sink, we become a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-proletariat-the-subordinate/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/when-we-sink-we-become-a-revolutionary-proletariat-the-subordinate/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
