Broken Quote by Vladimir Lenin
“It is not difficult to be a revolutionary when revolution has already broken out and is in spate, when all people are joining the revolution just because they are carried away, because it is the vogue, and sometimes even from careerist motives. It is far more difficult--and far more precious--to be a revolutionary when the conditions for direct, open, really mass and really revolutionary struggle do not yet exist.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: The State and Revolution, Vladimir Lenin, 1917
Being a revolutionary is easy when the movement is already popular; true revolution requires courage when conditions are not yet ripe.
In simple terms: Revolution is easy when popular, hard when not yet ready.
Key Takeaway
Act with conviction even without mass support.
Themes
courage
political activism
leadership
Mood
determined
reflective
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political organizing
- grassroots movements
- pre‑revolutionary planning
- personal conviction
Key Concepts
Marxism
revolutionary theory
social change
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you sustain revolutionary zeal without popular momentum?
- What personal risks are worth taking for a future revolution?
A Different Perspective
Without mass support, revolutionary ideas may be suppressed or ignored.
![“When we planned our country's economic development, we had the strategic objective of our Revolution in mind. It was not planned for economic development [to be] solely an end in itself. There are some who have forgotten that the sole basis of our revolutionary struggle was the ideology and…” quote by Mengistu Haile Mariam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/137/mengistu-haile-mariam-31262_bases_when-we-planned-our-country-s-economic-d_2646459.jpg)
