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Eugene V. Debs

Eugene V. Debs Quotes

Political leader

Eugene V. Debs was a prominent American political leader born on November 5, 1855, and died on October 20, 1926. He was a steadfast socialist and ran for the presidency of the United States four times.

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Famous Eugene V. Debs Quotes

“Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be also found, unfurling its class-struggle banner and proclaiming its mission of emancipation.”

Found Class Struggle Tears Capitalism Misery Missions Pursuit Socialism Exploitation Emancipation Banner Class Struggle Agitation Proclaiming

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“Why should the railroad employees be parceled out among a score of different organizations? They are all employed in the same service. Their interests are mutual. They ought to be able to act together as one. But they divide according to craft and calling, and if you were to propose today to unite them that they might actually do something to advance their collective and individual interests as workers, you would be opposed by every grand officer of these organizations.”

“When I rise it will be with the ranks, and not from the ranks.”

Solidarity Labor Union

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“I am not a capitalist soldier; I am a proletarian revolutionist. I do not belong to the regular army of the plutocracy, but to the irregular army of the people. I refuse to obey any command to fight from the ruling class, but I will not wait to be commanded to fight for the working class. I am opposed to every war but one; I am for that war with heart and soul, and that is the world-wide war of social revolution. In that war I am prepared to fight in any way the ruling class may make necessary, even to the barricades.”

“The rights of one are as sacred as the rights of a million.”

Millions Rights Sacred

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“If it had not been for the discontent of a few fellows who had not been satisfied with their conditions, you would still be living in caves. Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization. Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation.”

Ifs Life Stills Born Progress Conditions Civilization Intelligent Fellows Intelligence Satisfied Caves Discontent Stagnation Agitation

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and all to lose - especially their lives.”

War Loses Class Subjects Masters Battle Gains Nothing To Lose

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“The workers are the saviors of society, the redeemers of the race.”

Work Race Workers Savior Redeemer

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth, and I am a citizen of the world.”

World Country Earth Fighting Citizens Patriotism Nationalism Citizenship World Citizen Patriotism And Nationalism Countries Of The World Environmental Stewardship

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“While there is a lower class, I am in it, while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”

Soul Culture Class Elements Diversity Social Justice Prison Equality Criminals Protest Brotherhood Socialist Disobedience Being Different Kinship Commonality Lower Class

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“Those who produce should have, but we know that those who produce the most - that is, those who work hardest, and at the most difficult and most menial tasks, have the least.”

Knows Should Difficult Produce Tasks Should Have Hardest

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“When great changes occur in history, when great principles are involved, as a rule the majority are wrong.”

Freedom Principles Democracy Involved Argument Majority Minorities Democracies Have Great Change Majority Rule Majority And Minority

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“The most heroic word in all languages is REVOLUTION.”

Language Struggle Revolution Heroic Hero Worship

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“Chicago is the product of modern capitalism, and, like other great commercial centers, is unfit for human habitation.”

Humans Cities Modern Products Capitalism Chicago American Capitalism

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“I would no more teach children military training than teach them arson, robbery, or assassination.”

Children Teach Military Training Assassination Robbery Arson Military Training

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“Private appropriation of the Earth’s surface, the natural resources, and the means of life is nothing less a crime than a crime against humanity, but the comparative few who are beneficiaries of this iniquitous social arrangement, far from being viewed as criminals meriting punishment, are the exalted rulers of society, and the people they exploit gladly render them homage and obeisance.”

“You need at this time especially to know that you are fit for something better than slavery and cannon fodder.”

Knows Needs Fit Slavery Something Better Cannons Fodder

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.”

War Class Subjects Masters Battle

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“Solidarity is not a matter of sentiment but a fact, cold and impassive as the granite foundations of a skyscraper. If the basic elements, identity of interest, clarity of vision, honesty of intent, and oneness of purpose, or any of these is lacking, all sentimental pleas for solidarity, and all other efforts to achieve it will be barren of results.”

“I am for Socialism because I am for humanity.”

Humanity Socialism

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“The Republican and Democratic parties, or, to be more exact, the Republican-Democratic party, represent the capitalist class in the class struggle. They are the political wings of the capitalist system and such differences as arise between them relate to spoils and not to principles.”

Political Differences Party Class Principles Struggle Republican Wings Democratic Arise Relate Capitalist Spoil Democratic Party Class Struggle

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“The guns on the walls that surround the prison accurately, though unwittingly, index the true character of the penitentiary in our day.”

Character Wall Gun Prison Surround Captivity True Character

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“If the people would but analyze the human equation of a prison they might better account for the crimes that are visited upon them in cities, towns, and hamlets, ofttimes by men who graduated with an education and equipment for just that sort of retributive service from some penal institution.”

People Ifs Men Humans Might Cities Crime Accounts Towns Institutions Prison Equipment Equations

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“A man should take to himself no discomfort from an opinion expressed or implied by his adversary, but it is difficult, and oftentimes humiliating to attempt to justify the kindness of one's friends.”

Men Should Difficult Opinion Kindness Justify Discomfort Adversaries Humiliating Implied

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“A prison is a cross section of society in which every human strain is clearly revealed.”

Humans Crosses Prison Sections Strain

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“In the very progress of society, the prison has in the very nature of things undergone some improvement, but there are vast stretches yet to be covered before the prison becomes, if it ever does, an institution for the reclamation and rehabilitation of erring and unfortunate men and women.”

Ifs Men Doe Progress Men And Women Institutions Prison Improvement Covered Unfortunate Rehabilitation Erring Progress Of Society Reclamation

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“The prison, above all others, should be the most human of institutions.”

Should Humans Institutions Prison

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“The general public knows practically nothing about the prison and appears to be little concerned about how it is managed and how prisoners are treated.”

People Knows Littles Concerned Prison Treated Prisoner General Public

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“I am guilty of believing that the human race can be humanized and enriched in every spiritual inference through the saner and more beneficent processes of peaceful persuasion applied to material problems rather than through wars, riots and bloodshed.”

Believe Humans War Problem Spiritual Process Race Materials Guilty Peaceful Human Race Persuasion Riot Bloodshed Inference

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“Some go to prison for stealing, and others for believing that a better system can be provided and maintained than one that makes it necessary for a man to steal in order to live.”

Men Believe Order Prison Stealing

Author:Eugene V. Debs

About the Author

Born: November 5, 1855
Died: October 20, 1926
Known for: Political leader
Quotes: 80

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