"All our lives we fought against exalting the individual,
against the elevation of the single person,
and long ago we were over and done with the business of a hero,
and here it comes up again: the glorification of one personality.
This is not good at all."
by:
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
[Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov] (1870-1924) First Leader of the Soviet Union
Source:
"Not by Politics Alone"
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Reader comments about this quote:
How befiting to Animal Farm. I think this is a great quote.
 -- Anonymous, Vancouver     
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    What on earth would Lenin know about freedom?
     -- Jim Kilpatrick, Austin, Tx     
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    This quote is very Christian. The Bible tells us that there is no east or west, no shadow of turning, no male or female in Christ. We are all equal in God's sight. I see little difference in what Lenin is saying. Our politics should be based on rational thinking about what is best for ourselves and body politic not on the adoration of one individual as Leader as in Fascism and Nazism.
     -- Bruce, 'Bama     
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    Well, hypocrisy knows no bounds. Hmm, this is a Christian statement? LOL! Bruce, you amaze me and your leftist leanings are more evident than ever.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Don't see Lenin or anyone else through rose colored glasses. You Archer are not discussing the quote but you are discussing Lenin. Is not our government and our idea of democracy based on one man one vote and not on hero worship? One man is as powerful as another in the voting booth. Fascism is based on dictatorship or the power of one. Read the Book of Samuel. Coming out of Egypt God gave the Hebrew children judges to rule over them and a form of democracy. They were stiffed necked and wanted to have a King "just like the other nations" they said. God said no because he did not want them to be like the other nations, whose citizens all went around trying to get close to the King and kiss the hero's a**. God wanted each to be a sort of small king and small hero in their own right. But the Hebrews kept insisting and God relented and they got the Hero Saul. After that the infighting started and the Hero David fought Hero Saul etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. You need to grow up Archer and learn to be able to read even those whom you think you don't agree with. The Apostle Paul furthered the idea of democracy, equality and brotherhood when he said in the book of Hebrews "We have but one High Priest the Christ who cannot be touched with the infirmities of man (like heros can be touched with graft, corruption etc). Paul goes on to say that since we all report to one King in The Sky we are therefore all equal. You need to learn to be able to read more widely Archer and don't prejudge someone, even Lenin may have said something provocative and interesting. Don't be afraid of knowledge and learning, embrace it.
     -- Bruce, 'Bama     
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    Bruce, you make me smile (ok, maybe laugh) out loud while shaking my head great big in disbelief, thinking someone could actually make that statement. I'm really glad we go to different churches. The founders believed that each individual was equal to the king in rights and revelation. Christianity exalts the individual. The Christ is an exalted individual, and I will not be exalted as an androgynous herd. As my children are one in me as a family, (I loving each one as an individual) so Christ loves each of use equally, being no respecter of persons. (unless of course you're saying your trinity has been expanded to a googleinity) The primary political difference between atheistic communism and Christianity is the belief that the individual, as heir to Divinity, is a sovereign king/queen and a priest/priestess - Caesar (which is a primary reason Hitler and Lenin killed so many millions of Christians).
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Bruce, further, God never gave a democracy to man; and, a single individual was always at the head. Even during the Judges, there was a Chief Judge. His governments were allways governments of law with the people being allowed to choose the best way to apply that law (thus, the American Republic)
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    God did not want the Hebrew children to have a kiss ass King. Lenin here is stating the problems with kiss as hero leadership and the elevation of a single person over the body politic. Judeo-Christian ethic is the foundation of Western Democracy after we we got through the church state controversey and chruch state hierarchies of Europe. The European nobility model was thrown overboard by the American Revolution. Oh there were right wingers that wanted to make Washington a King and yes Burr wanted to be a dictator but we survived all of that elevation of a single person or hero. Thank God our guys can only serve 8 years. Open your eyes to the possibilities in people. Lenin is not saying anything we as a people generally do not believe in this statement. I would not be surprised if he stole his idea from the American experience.
     -- Bruce, 'Bama     
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    Mike in your church do they teach equality before God and brotherhood with each other. If not I don't believe it squares with the bible. If that ain't democracy I don't know what is.
     -- Bruce, 'Bama     
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    The collective idolization of any individual is sick. It happens because people don't want to do tough thinking about tendencies and faults of democracy.
     -- Egon, Lancaster     
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    5 stars for Mike, Norwalk!
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Bruce, its very clear, you don't know what democracy is.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    communist bastard
     -- jim, torrance calif     
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    This is a great quote. It tells you something about socialism. The individual has no importance what so ever. The state is all important and is to be worshiped. Jesus taught that the state was nothing. That the individual was all important in the eyes of God. So much so that he sacrificed his son for each one of us in spite of the fact that we are unworthy. That is in no way similar to that commie bastard that made this quote. Remember one thing about the left. Truth is what benefits the party. Fact has no worth unless it just coincidentally can be used to bolster the states "truth". Morals are to be decided by the state not by God. The state has become god. There is no tax to high because the state is the beneficiary. Corporations are evil because they have interests that benefit the individuals in the company and not the state. Individuals are worthless except for what the state wants to do with them. As any good commie will tell you "you are what you eat" is taught to their children as a way of saying you have no soul and you are only a pile of chemicals of no significant worth. Killing one or one million people is a moral act to a communist if he sees it as a benefit to the state. Our society has adapted much of this philosophy in the last century. Most young people are taught, and believe, that morality is a mater of personal choice. A recent poll revealed that about 75% think this way. Which any one that is capable of rational though would realize that if the each individual makes up his own version of what is moral there is in fact no longer any morals at all. This mindset is only possible with out God in the equation. This direction we are headed was laid out by Roger Baldwin, founder of the ACLU, in 1920. His goal for his organization was to bring the U S to communism by corrupting the legal system, destroying the family unit, and corrupting the moral fiber of this country. He has accomplished much and his organization is still hard at work to bring his dream to fruition. We even his people on the Supreme Court. When you succeed in destroying the individual's worth you can do anything you want with him. That is what our welfare system is for. That is why the reforms were opposed and the congress will soon, if not stopped, undo the reforms made in the mid 90's. With the current pool of politicians it is quite possible that major steps in the direction that Baldwin wants will soon be here. Government run health care, salary caps on private individuals, and 100%of the profits from certain corporations confiscated for the “public good”. All of the things in the last sentence have been proposed by one presidential candidate currently running for office. I don’t care how much you don’t like any corporation, what we allow to be done to it will soon be done to all. Pay attention it is going on here and now. If we don’t wake up we might as well have Vladimir for our next and permanent leader.
     -- warren, olathe     
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    Sin entered the world by one man. Salvation is offered through the sacrifice of one man. Jesus will leave the 99 to go back for the one lost sheep. How does that not elevate the individual?
     -- Dana, Holland     
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    Yea Dana
     -- warren, olathe     
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    how many of you lived in the USSR? none. u write "bruce u don't know what democracy is." none of u know what democracy is, what we live in isn't democracy it's the same socialist bullshit, just different areas of you're lives are controlled than in the USSR. Lenin was a great leader, but others like Stalin and Gorbachov fucked his entire system and became dictators. did this not happen with bush? he fucked america harder than anyone, we are constintaly brainwashed, in the USSR everyone had a job during Lenin's time.
     -- dima, sacramento     
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    Christ is light to the world. that is why the USSR fell, the christian nation russia once was overthrow the evil that the soviets were
     -- Blair, Cordova     
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    wow you people are like really stupid. Lenin here is not talking about individuality, he is saying how bad cult of personality, the glorification of the leader is - and the cult of personality he is attacking is his own!
     -- anti-democrat, neo-byzantium     
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    :D, "Religion is the biggest lie, that humanity has ever invented." -Vladimir Ilyich Uljanov (Lenin). Made up answers.
     -- Soviet ace, somewhere     
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    "Religion is the opium of the people." - Marx "Freedom without Socialism is privilege. Socialism without freedom is tyranny." - Mikhael Bakunin
     -- Ariel, Redsquare     
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    Very good for Animal Farm. Very good
     -- Not Telling, buttox vill in NC     
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    Dr Christopher Reid provides a report of Lenin's personal life and political career. Christopher Reid draws on a broad range of primary and secondary sources, making use of archive material made available in the Glasnost and post-Soviet eras. Reid's report highlights all the good in Lenin. However fails to highlight all the wrong and broken promises. In many ways, the actions of Lenin could suggest that he was a bad leader although in a purely Marxist sense. This is because in 1917 when he had achieved power, he made many promises to the people about "what is to be done" and these policies reflected the thinking of a Marxist leader. The policy of 'War communism' adopted during the civil war certainly reflected a Marxist leader in which he put severe pressure upon the peasants.
     -- Lucy, Lytham     
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    I think Marxism and Christianity are in many ways similar. If the ideologys of either were completely adopted and implemented society and humankind would benefit. What ever you're political or religious view, surely a world where all were equally and co-operation rather than competition was the aim would be a better place to live. However, human flaws and mans inherant propensity for greed and self-preservation have corrupted both, think of the USSR under Stalin, the KGB and the Catholic churches abhorant defense of paedophile priests, the war in Iraq or the Klu Klux Klan. Neither Marx nor Christ would've condoned the ways thier thoughts and teachings have been applied to the world, even though people hide behind these as justification for evil.
     -- Stitch, Liverpool     
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    Lenin did more to kill the religious than anyone in history. The 20's-30's he targeted the Russian Orthodox Church and by 1926 had reduced their numbers from 50,000 to 500 killing all of the clergy, and killing or imprisoning most of the faithful. By 1926 there were no Catholic Bishops remaining in Russia. Stalin revived support for the Church, but only to unite the patriotic support for the War, and only after being attacked by the Nazis in 1941.
     -- Anonymous, Omaha     
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    Communism and Religion are mutully exclusive. Christians believe their rights come from their Creator, and Communism dictates their rights come from Govenment.
     -- Anonymous, Omaha     
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    You leftist losers should get communism and see if you can spend all your time writing these stupid blogs.Some of you will have to work for the first time and wonder what it is all about that you can't sit around on your cans and receive something for nothing."Oh the stuff doesn't fall down out the sky.I have to work now."Da
     -- Herman the Germarn, Buffalo     
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    You tell them Herman
     -- Pete, Boonville     
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