Karl Marx Quotes
Karl Marx was a 19th-century German philosopher, economist, historian, and revolutionary socialist whose work founded the tradition of thought that bears his name. With Friedrich Engels he co-authored the Communist Manifesto in 1848, and his major theoretical work, Capital, set out a systematic analysis of capitalist production, value, and class. The quotes below are attributed to Karl Marx, organized by topic.
Karl Marx on Freedom
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please.”
Karl Marx on God
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
Karl Marx on Justice
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
Karl Marx on Knowledge
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.”
Karl Marx on Politics
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.”
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas.”
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“Capital is dead labour, that, vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labour.”
Karl Marx on Time
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.”
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Attributed to Karl Marx:
“All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned.”