"Live your life not celebrating victories, but overcoming defeats."
Che Guevara
Revolutionary, Guerrilla Leader
Che Guevara was an Argentine revolutionary leader and key figure in the Cuban Revolution, known for his writings on guerrilla warfare and social justice.
- Born
- June 14, 1928
- Died
- October 9, 1967
- Quotes
- 179
About Che Guevara
Che Guevara — Life and Legacy
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was an influential Argentine revolutionary, physician, and author, best known for his role in the Cuban Revolution alongside Fidel Castro. His commitment to Marxist ideology and social justice is encapsulated in his major work, 'Guerrilla Warfare,' where he outlines strategies for revolutionary movements. Guevara's quotes often reflect his deep conviction that true change arises from the people's struggle, as seen in his assertion that 'The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall.' This perspective underscores his belief in the necessity of active participation in the fight against oppression. Guevara's worldview was shaped by his experiences traveling across Latin America, which revealed the stark inequalities faced by the poor. His famous quote, 'A true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love,' illustrates his belief that love for humanity is essential in the pursuit of justice. By challenging existing power structures and advocating for the marginalized, Guevara's ideas continue to resonate, inspiring movements for social change worldwide. His legacy remains a powerful reminder of the importance of resilience and solidarity in the face of injustice.
Quote collection
Che Guevara quotes (page 1 of 9)
179 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"The true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love."
"It's a sad thing not to have friends, but it is even sadder not to have enemies."
"Every person has the truth in his heart. No matter how complicated his circumstances, no matter how others look at him from the outside, and no matter how deep or shallow the truth dwells in his heart, once his heart is pieced with a crystal needle, the truth will gush forth like a geyser."
"Democracy cannot consist solely of elections that are nearly always fictitious and managed by rich landowners and professional politicians."
"Be realistic, demand the impossible!"
"Above all, try always to be able to feel deeply any injustice committed against any person in any part of the world. It is the most beautiful quality of a revolutionary."
"Every day People straighten up the hair, why not the heart?"
"We must bear in mind that imperialism is a world system, the last stage of capitalism-and it must be defeated in a world confrontation. The strategic end of this struggle should be the destruction of imperialism. Our share, the responsibility of the exploited and underdeveloped of the world, is to eliminate the foundations of imperialism: our oppressed nations, from where they extract capital, raw materials, technicians, and cheap labor, and to which they export new capital-instruments of domination-arms and all kinds of articles, thus submerging us in an absolute dependence."
"Let the world change you and you can change the world"
"If you have the capacity to tremble with indignation every time that an injustice is committed in the world, then we are comrades."
"Youth should learn to think and act as a mass. It is criminal to think as individuals!"
"The walls of the educational system must come down. Education should not be a privilege, so the children of those who have money can study."
"We have no right to believe that freedom can be won without struggle."
"The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall."
"I don't care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting."
"Those who kill their own children and discriminate daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men - how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom?"
"To accomplish much you must first lose everything."
"Silence is argument carried out by other means."
"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine."