11 Inspirational Quotes from Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926. He was intellectually gifted and excelled in sports but not in academics at school. After his graduation in law in 1945, he focused more on politics and showed his ire against the imperialist regime and dictatorship. His first attempts to overthrow the country’s dictator Rafael Trujillo failed but it did not dampen his enthusiasm for reform.
After a few more failed attempts and even after moving to Mexico, he continued to organize Cuban exiles and got in touch with Argentinian Rebel Che Guevara all the while thinking about how to overthrow the Cuban dictatorship. He was also influenced by Karl Marx’s teachings. In 1959, he and his Cuban rebels waged a guerrilla war against the Batista Government and in the same year, at the age of 32, Fidel Castro became the Prime Minister and led the country till 2008.
1. Capitalism
"I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition." - Fidel Castro
2. Revolution
"A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past." - Fidel Castro
3. Destiny
"Men do not shape destiny, Destiny produces the man for the hour." - Fidel Castro
4. Revolution is a Dictatorship
"The revolution is a dictatorship of the exploited against the exploiters." - Fidel Castro
5. A Country Must Be
"Every country must be absolutely free to adopt the type of economic, political and social system that it considers convenient." - Fidel Castro
6. Revolution
"A revolution is not a bed of roses." - Fidel Castro
7. Courage
"I have a heart of steel" - Fidel Castro
8. Sacrifice
"Condemn me. It is of no importance. History will absolve me" - Fidel Castro
9. On Jesus Christ
"I never saw a contradiction between the ideas that sustain me and the ideas of that symbol, of that extraordinary figure (Jesus Christ)" - Fidel Castro
10. Socialist Community
"Just imagine what would happen in the world if the socialist community were to disappear ... if this were possible and I don't believe it is possible" - Fidel Castro
11. War
"I realized that my true destiny would be the war that I was going to have with the United States" - Fidel Castro
Despite his anti-imperialistic efforts and his rule of Cuba for five decades, he was hated by most governments and human rights organizations but he became a hero for millions of other people. He believed in equality and social justice and never favored one class of people living better than others.
He was able to transform Cuba from the Banana Republic to a country with international standing. Fidel Castro: My Life: A Spoken Autobiography gives a glimpse of not only his personal life but also of the political events of his time and his political views on a variety of issues. He died on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90.
