Stalin Quotes
10 quotes
Stalin
Soviet leader who transformed the USSR into a superpower
10 Quotes
Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.
— Interview with H.G. Wells, 1934
The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.
— Attributed in various accounts, commonly cited from 1946 speech, though exact source debated
There are no fortresses that Bolsheviks cannot storm.
— Speech to Red Army Commanders, 1945
A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic
— Attributed in varied sources including Soviet memoirs and the works of Stalin's contemporaries
It is not heroes that make history, but history that makes heroes
— Dialectical and Historical Materialism
Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas
— Frequently attributed, regarded as apocryphal, but found in multiple Soviet-era writings and memoirs
The only real power comes out of a long rifle
— Reported by Milovan Djilas, Conversations with Stalin
Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs
— Attributed in Soviet political anecdotes and memoirs
The only thing that matters is the outcome. The end justifies the means.
— Commonly attributed, summarized from various speeches and writings, paraphrasing Stalin's philosophy
Death is the solution to all problems. No man – no problem.
— Attributed in various memoirs and histories, first cited in Simon Sebag Montefiore's 'Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar'