Mao Zedong Military Quotations

If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself. If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

An army without culture is a dull-witted army, and a dull-witted army cannot defeat the enemy.

The guerrilla must move amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea.

Weapons are an important factor in war, but not the decisive one; it is man and not materials that counts.

The popular masses are like water, and the army is like a fish. How then can it be said that when there is water, a fish will have difficulty in preserving its existence? An army which fails to maintain good discipline gets into opposition with the popular masses, and thus by its own action dries up the water.

Revolutionary war is an antitoxin which not only eliminates the enemy's poison but also purges us of our own filth.

The contest of strength is not only a contest of military and economic power, but also a contest of human power and morale. Military and economic power is necessarily wielded by people.

There are some militarists who say: ‘We are not interested in politics but only in the profession of arms.’ It is vital that these simple-minded militarists be made to realize the relationship that exists between politics and military affairs. Military action is a method used to attain a political goal. While military affairs and political affairs are not identical, it is impossible to isolate one from the other.