Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, political theorist, historian, sociologist, and revolutionary socialist. He is famous for his theories about capitalism, socialism, and communism. Let’s explore the best Karl Marx quotes on democracy, freedom, religion, and class conflict that reflect his ideologies and influence on society.
Born in Trier, Germany on May 5, 1818, Karl Marx was a legendary 19th-century writer best known for his influential works the 1848 pamphlet “The Communist Manifesto” (with Friedrich Engels) and “Das Kapital.”
He is considered to be the founder of Marxism, a social, economic, and political philosophy that analyses the impact of the ruling class (the Bourgeoisie) on the laborers (the Proletariat), leading to uneven distribution of wealth and privileges in society.
Karl’s theory of Marxism stimulates the workers to protest against the injustice and eventually form a communist and classless society, free of class distinctions and inequal wealth.
His ideas on capitalism, the exploitation of the working class, and class struggle have inspired revolutions, sparked debates, and shaped many political and communist movements throughout the world.
Marx’s writings provide a critical analysis of the capitalist system and has greatly influenced modern intellectual, economic, and political history.
Delve into the mind of a revolutionary thinker and explore the profound impact of his wisdom through these powerful Karl Marx quotes.
Here are the most famous Karl Marx quotes on human relations, education, and leadership that will inspire you to stand up against oppression and strive for a more equitable and just society.
Top 10 Karl Marx Quotes
- “Religion is the opium of the people.” — Karl Marx
Karl Marx Quotes - “Democracy is the road to socialism.” — Karl Marx
Quotes Of Karl Marx - “I do not like money, money is the reason we fight.” — Karl Marx
Sayings Of Karl Marx - “Follow your own path, no matter what people say.” — Karl Marx
Quotes By Karl Marx - “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” — Karl Marx
Karl Marx Phrases - “The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs.” — Karl Marx
Famous Karl Marx Quotes - “Keep people from their history, and they are easily controlled.” — Karl Marx
Karl Marx Quotes On Capitalism - “Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains.” — Karl Marx
Communist Manifesto Quotes - “Social progress can be measured by the social position of the female sex.” — Karl Marx
Best Karl Marx Quotes - “The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people.” — Karl Marx
Famous Quotes of Karl Marx
- “I am nothing but I must be everything.” — Karl Marx
- “Communism begins where atheism begins.” — Karl Marx
- “Man makes religion, religion does not make a man.” — Karl Marx
- “The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain.” — Karl Marx
- “The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.” — Karl Marx
- “Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form.” — Karl Marx
- “The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope.” — Karl Marx
- “When the sufferers learn to think, then the thinkers will learn to suffer.” — Karl Marx
- “Necessity is blind until it becomes conscious. Freedom is the consciousness of necessity.” — Karl Marx
- “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history class struggles.” — Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto
- “Catch a man a fish, and you can sell it to him. Teach a man to fish, and you ruin a wonderful business opportunity.” — Karl Marx
- “The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother’s care, shall be in state institutions.” — Karl Marx
- “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways: the point, however, is to change it.” — Karl Marx, Eleven Theses on Feuerbach
- “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” — Karl Marx
- “Accumulation of wealth at one pole is at the same time accumulation of misery, agony of toil, slavery, ignorance, brutality, mental degradation, at the opposite pole.” — Karl Marx
Best Karl Marx Quotes
- “Ignorance never yet helped anybody.” — Karl Marx
- “Last words are for fools wo haven’t said enough.” — Karl Marx
- “The working class is revolutionary or it is nothing at all.” — Karl Marx
- “Nothing can have value without being an object of utility.” — Karl Marx
- “Money plays the largest part in determining the course of history.” — Karl Marx
- “The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion.” — Karl Marx
- “Capitalism is a social system based on the exploitation of the majority by a minority for their private profit. ” — Karl Marx
- “The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property.” — Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto
- “There is no greater stupidity than for people…to marry and so surrender themselves to the small miseries of domestic and private life.” — Karl Marx
- “Capital is money, capital is commodities. By virtue of it being value, it has acquired the occult ability to add value to itself. It brings forth living offspring, or, at the least, lays golden eggs. ” — Karl Marx
Quotes By Karl Marx
- “The human essence is the true collectivist essence.” — Karl Marx
- “Take away a nation’s heritage and they are more easily persuaded.” — Karl Marx
- “Landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed. ” — Karl Marx
- No production without a need. But consumption reproduces that need.” — Karl Marx
- “For the bureaucrat, the world is a mere object to be manipulated by him.” — Karl Marx
- “If you can cut the people off from their history, then they can be easily persuaded.” — Karl Marx
- “We have no compassion and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror.” — Karl Marx
- “Capital is dead labor, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labor, and lives the more, the more labor it sucks.” — Karl Marx, Das Kapital
- “Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. ” — Karl Marx
- “Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.” — Karl Marx
More Karl Marx Quotes And Sayings
- “The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living.” — Karl Marx
- “The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class.” — Karl Marx, The German Ideology
- “A heavy or progressive or graduated income tax is necessary for the proper development of Communism.” — Karl Marx
- “There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery.” — Karl Marx
- “Just as a man is governed, in religion, by the products of his own brain, so, in capitalist production, he is governed by the products of his own hand.” — Karl Marx
- “Do not be deluded by the abstract word Freedom. Whose freedom? Not the freedom of one individual in relation to another, but freedom of Capital to crush the worker.” — Karl Marx
Conclusion
Did you enjoy these Karl Marx quotes and sayings? Which of these quotes are your favorite? Is there a quote that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
Feel free to share with friends and family on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, WhatsApp, Pinterest, Twitter, and more.
