Ernest Mandel Quotes & Sayings

“You need a vanguard organization in order to overcome the dangerous potential brought about by the uneven development of class militancy and class consciousness.”

“The only conclusion you can draw from the real historical movement is that by and large, in day-to-day life, what Lenin called trade union consciousness dominates the working class. I would call it elementary class consciousness of the working class.”

“Factions are a sign of illness in a party.”

“Marxism is always open, always critical, always self-critical.”

“Mistakes in themselves are unavoidable.”

“There is a process of social and of political differentiation going on in the real working class all the time.”

“We do not believe that the Marxist program, which embodies the continuity of the experience of the actual class struggle and real revolutions of the last one hundred and fifty years, is a definitely closed book.”

“Furthermore, there is absolutely no contradiction between the separate organizations of revolutionary vanguard militants and their participation in the mass organizations of the working class.”

“Otherwise we get off the track and we do not fulfil the historical role which we want to fulfil: to help the masses, the exploited and the oppressed of the world, build a classless society, a world socialist federation.”

“The conclusion you can draw from these characteristics is that you have an uneven development of class activity and an uneven development of class consciousness in the working class.”