Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was a Cuban communist revolutionary and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers from 1976 to 2008. Profoundly inspirational Fidel Castro quotes will challenge the way you think, change the way you live and transform your whole life.
Famous Fidel Castro Quotes
The revenues of Cuban state-run companies are used exclusively for the benefit of the people, to whom they belong. – Fidel Castro
I would not vote for the mayor. It’s not just because he didn’t invite me to dinner, but because on my way into town from the airport there were such enormous potholes. – Fidel Castro
Why do some people have to go barefoot so that others can drive luxury cars? Why are some people able to live only 35 years in order that others can live 70 years? Why do some people have to be miserably poor in order that others can be extravagantly rich? I speak for all the children in the world who don’t even have a piece of bread. – Fidel Castro
I began revolution with 82 men. If I had to do it again, I do it with 10 or 15 and absolute faith. It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and plan of action. – Fidel Castro
I think that a man should not live beyond the age when he begins to deteriorate, when the flame that lighted the brightest moment of his life has weakened. – Fidel Castro
We need a Nuremberg to put on trial the economic order that they have imposed on us, that every three years kills more men, women and children by hunger and preventable or curable diseases than the death toll in six years of the second world war. – Fidel Castro
I don’t think that the contradictions between capitalism and socialism can be resolved by war. This is no longer the age of the bow and arrow. It’s the nuclear age, and war can annihilate us all. The only way to achieve solutions seems to be for the different social systems to coexist. – Fidel Castro
North Americans don’t understand… that our country is not just Cuba; our country is also humanity. – Fidel Castro
I am Fidel Castro and we have come to liberate Cuba. – Fidel Castro
My idea, as the whole world knows, is that the capitalist system now doesn’t work either for the United States or the world, driving it from crisis to crisis, which are each time more serious. – Fidel Castro
No thieves, no traitors, no interventionists! This time the revolution is for real! – Fidel Castro
Warfare is a means and not an end. Warfare is a tool of revolutionaries. The important thing is the revolution. The important thing is the revolutionary cause, revolutionary ideas, revolutionary objectives, revolutionary sentiments, revolutionary virtues! – Fidel Castro
I propose the immediate launching of a nuclear strike on the United States. The Cuban people are prepared to sacrifice themselves for the cause of the destruction of imperialism and the victory of world revolution. – Fidel Castro
If there ever was in the history of humanity an enemy who was truly universal, an enemy whose acts and moves trouble the entire world, threaten the entire world, attack the entire world in any way or another, that real and really universal enemy is precisely Yankee imperialism. – Fidel Castro
You Americans keep saying that Cuba is ninety miles from the United States. I say that the United States is ninety miles from Cuba and for us, that is worse. – Fidel Castro
I was a man who was lucky enough to have discovered a political theory, a man who was caught up in the whirlpool of Cuba’s political crisis…; discovering Marxism…was like finding a map in the forest. – Fidel Castro
Everyone is a poet at 16, but how many are poets at 50? Generally, people seem to get more conservative as they age, but in my case, I seem to have gotten more radical. – Fidel Castro
On birthdays I avoid taking hasty or impulsive measures. – Fidel Castro
Yoga does things with the human body that defy the imagination. – Fidel Castro
No government can sell its nation on the backs of its people. – Fidel Castro
U.S. leaders should think that if they are aiding terrorist plans to eliminate Cuban leaders, they themselves will not be safe. – Fidel Castro
Capitalism is using its money; we socialists throw it away. – Fidel Castro
Forgive me for using the term ‘fat little brother’. It is not a criticism, rather a suggestion that he do some exercises and go on a diet, don’t you think? I’m doing this for the gentleman’s health. – Fidel Castro
There is nothing more agreeable than having a place where one can throw on the floor as many cigar butts as one pleases without the subconscious fear of a maid who is waiting like a sentinel to place an ashtray where the ashes are going to fall. – Fidel Castro
I am not a dictator, and I do not think I will become one. I will not maintain power with a machine gun. – Fidel Castro
It would have been the easiest thing in the world for us to build those emplacements under the guise of something totally different and they would have never been discovered. The amazing thing was that they weren’t discovered earlier. It was a question of carelessness, lack of foresight. – Fidel Castro
The societies of consumption and squandering of material resources are incompatible with the idea of economic growth and a clean planet. – Fidel Castro
The Jews have lived an existence that is much harder than ours. There is nothing that compares to the Holocaust. – Fidel Castro
I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating… because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition. – Fidel Castro
I’m not attached to anything. I’m attached to what it feels it’s my duty, to do my duty. I think that I will die with the boots on. – Fidel Castro
If people call me Christian, not from the standpoint of religion but from the standpoint of social vision, I declare that I am a Christian. – Fidel Castro
The duty of every revolutionary is to make revolution – Fidel Castro
We have a theoretical concept of the Revolution which is a dictatorship of the exploited against the exploiters. – Fidel Castro
I am a Marxist-Leninist and I will be one until the last day of my life. – Fidel Castro
The selection of a Republican candidate for the presidency of this globalized and expansive empire is – and I mean this seriously – the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been. – Fidel Castro
The solutions put forth by imperialism are the quintessence of simplicity…When they speak of the problems of population and birth, they are in no way moved by concepts related to the interests of the family or of society…Just when science and technology are making incredible advances in all fields, they resort to technology to suppress revolutions and ask the help of science to prevent population growth. In short, the peoples are not to make revolutions, and women are not to give birth. This sums up the philosophy of imperialism. – Fidel Castro
The ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and the hungry but they cannot kill ignorance, illnesses, poverty or hunger. – Fidel Castro
There are enough doctors on the planet so that nobody has to die for lack of attendance. – Fidel Castro
We are not only a Latin American nation; we are an Afro-American nation also. – Fidel Castro
The greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been. – Fidel Castro
All criticism is opposition. All opposition is counter revolutionary. – Fidel Castro
If religious feeling is put in opposition to social change, then it does become an opium, but if it is joined to the struggle for social change then it is a wonderful medicine. – Fidel Castro
I have reached the conclusion, a bit late perhaps, that speeches should be short. – Fidel Castro
The universities are available only to those who share my revolutionary beliefs. – Fidel Castro
There is not Communism or Marxism, but representative democracy and social justice in a well-planned economy. – Fidel Castro
Fellow workers and peasants, this is the socialist and democratic revolution of the working people, with the working people, and for the working people. And for this revolution of the working people, by the working people, and for the working people we are prepared to give our lives. – Fidel Castro
The truth is that after several decades of neoliberalism, the rich are becoming increasingly richer while the poor are both more numerous and increasingly poorer. – Fidel Castro
Whoever hesitates while waiting for ideas to triumph among the masses before initiating revolutionary action will never be a revolutionary… Humanity will, of course, change; human society will, of course, continue to develop – in spite of men and the errors of men. But that is not a revolutionary attitude. – Fidel Castro
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
Cuba has the cleanest and most-educated prostitutes in the world. – Fidel Castro
Sorry, I’m still a dialectical materialist. – Fidel Castro
Capitalism has neither the capacity, nor the morality, nor the ethics to solve the problems of poverty. – Fidel Castro
It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and a plan of action. – Fidel Castro
With what moral authority can they speak of human rights – the rulers of a nation in which the millionaire and beggar coexist; the Indian is exterminated; the black man is discriminated against; the woman is prostituted; and the great masses of Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and Latin Americans are scorned, exploited, and humiliated? How can they do this – the bosses of an empire where the mafia, gambling, and child prostitution are imposed; where the CIA organizes plans of global subversion and espionage, and the Pentagon creates neutron bombs capable of preserving material assets and wiping out human beings. – Fidel Castro
Condemn me, it does not matter: history will absolve me. – Fidel Castro
We must establish a new world order based on justice, on equity, and on peace. – Fidel Castro
The first thing dictators do is finish free press, to establish censorship. There is no doubt that a free press is the first enemy of dictatorship. – Fidel Castro
If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal. – Fidel Castro
One of the greatest benefits of the revolution is that even our prostitutes are college graduates. – Fidel Castro
Ideas do not need weapons. – Fidel Castro
If we wish to express what we want the men of future generations to be, we must say: Let them be like Che! If we wish to say how we want our children to be educated, we must say without hesitation: We want them to be educated in Che’s spirit! If we want the model of a man, who does not belong to our times but to the future, I say from the depths of my heart that such a model, without a single stain on his conduct, without a single stain on his action, is Che! – Fidel Castro
A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past. – Fidel Castro
I’ve always considered Christ to be one of the greatest revolutionaries in the history of humanity. – Fidel Castro
There is talk of the failure of socialism, and where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia, and in Latin America? – Fidel Castro
Good athletes do not know what tiredness is. They do not know what discouragement is. Good athletes only know what victory is. – Fidel Castro
We are not politicians. We made our revolution to get the politicians out. – Fidel Castro
A large percentage of those living in developed societies are told what brand of soda they should drink, what cigarettes they should smoke, what clothes and shoes they should wear, what they should eat and what brand of food they should buy. Their political ideas are supplied in the same way. Every year a trillion dollars is spent on advertising. – Fidel Castro
This country is heaven, in the spiritual sense of the word. And I say, we prefer to die in heaven than survive in hell. – Fidel Castro
Men do not shape destiny. Destiny produces the man for the hour. – Fidel Castro
Nowhere in the world, in no act of genocide, in no war, are so many people killed per minute, per hour and per day as those who are killed by hunger and poverty on our planet. – Fidel Castro
The percentage of mentally disturbed people in the United States is very high. From the time the American gets up in the morning, he feels as if someone is trying to influence his will in some way: he is a person with a thousand pressures. The Americans live under a great strain … and have great feelings of frustration. – Fidel Castro
When I was a young boy, my father taught me that to be a good Catholic, I had to confess at church if I ever had impure thoughts about a girl. That very evening, I had to rush to confess my sin. And the next night, and the next. After a week, I decided religion wasn’t for me. – Fidel Castro
I don’t think anyone has been slandered more than the Jews. – Fidel Castro
I am not a communist and neither is the revolutionary movement. – Fidel Castro
They talk about the failure of socialism but where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America? – Fidel Castro
The revolution is a dictatorship of the exploited against the exploiters. – Fidel Castro
There is nothing that compares to the Holocaust. – Fidel Castro
More than 820 million people in the world suffer from hunger; and 790 million of them live in the Third World. – Fidel Castro
A revolution is not a bed of roses. – Fidel Castro
I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief. – Fidel Castro
Where is the ethic, the justification, the respect for the most basic human rights and the common sense of such policies? – Fidel Castro
we remember forever for his deep caring, support and solidarity toward the Cuban people and our revolution. – Fidel Castro
What has the former football star done to be looking so good? – Fidel Castro
We have no objection at all that the three US officials visit us to give their assessments and hold an exchange on these matters. – Fidel Castro
There are even irresponsible families who sell their daughters’ bodies and insensitive neighbors who think this is the most natural thing in the world until tragedy and disease strike. – Fidel Castro
We shall always be grateful for that gesture. – Fidel Castro
The pope is our guest. … We will do everything to the hilt to ensure that the visit will be historic. – Fidel Castro
We have just received 12 locomotives from China. They are simply the best our country has received. They are the most modern, most efficient and of best value. – Fidel Castro
The plane will be ready to leave Tuesday if the visas are granted. – Fidel Castro
Life has its ups and downs, you can fall down, but you can also get up. I have friends, my daughters and a very great spirit of struggle which is comforting in finding another opportunity. My family has helped me a lot along this road; now I wake up every morning and have the same ambitions that I had a while back. – Fidel Castro
Let the blockade cease! The United States has no right to ask for or expect anything from us while they maintain the blockade. – Fidel Castro
Neo-liberalism and globalization and the way they are being implemented today are tantamount to new and sophisticated forms of plundering. – Fidel Castro
Never has the revolution had so much unity, strength and experience as today. – Fidel Castro
I do not think that he is a warmonger. He is the only one who has dared say that Cuba has done something good. – Fidel Castro
I am going to tell you what I think about this famous commission. – Fidel Castro
I am talking about three days … It is inevitable. – Fidel Castro
I feel my belief in sacrifice and struggle getting stronger. I despise the kind of existence that clings to the miserly trifles of comfort and self-interest. I think that a man should not live beyond the age when he begins to deteriorate, when the flame that lighted the brightest moment of his life has weakened. – Fidel Castro
If all roads lead to Rome, we can only wish for thousands of roads to lead to Revolutionary Rome! – Fidel Castro
Forty-eight hours have passed, and we have received no response to our offer. We will wait patiently. – Fidel Castro
If it takes months, so be it, they will wait it out. – Fidel Castro
If it weren’t for that absurd and ridiculous embargo, the United States could receive vaccinations and other medical procedures from Cuba that could help save American lives. – Fidel Castro
He went too far in his speech. He was rude. He insulted. He lied, and he threatened. – Fidel Castro
We can do it better and take on the major leagues. … For each player that leaves, 10 better ones arise. – Fidel Castro
There is no country in the world where the empire’s mercenaries enjoy the privileges they do in Cuba. – Fidel Castro
to force us to surrender through hunger and illness … as part of a monstrous, fascist plan. – Fidel Castro
Humanity will preserve an emotional memory of the tireless work of His Holiness John Paul II in favor of peace, justice and solidarity among all people. – Fidel Castro
He is very much a fool. He doesn’t know who the Cuban baseball players are, or that they are Olympic and world champions. If he knew, he would know something about this country’s government. – Fidel Castro
I was asked by many citizens whether I was going to respond, … We are all going to respond! – Fidel Castro
I think that it has moved the world. It’s something extraordinary, something historic. – Fidel Castro
I repeat my warmest congratulations and the desire to continue strengthening the existing relations between our two parties, governments and peoples. – Fidel Castro
Our relations are based on mutual interest and devotion to peace, in the context of cooperation and integration. – Fidel Castro
Little Elian will get back his country, his family, his school, his schoolmates, his school desk. – Fidel Castro
I think only God can punish crimes of such magnitude. – Fidel Castro
We are the rebels of the West, … And Malaysia is the rebel of the East. – Fidel Castro
We aren’t afraid of anything. It’s very difficult to compete against us in any area … not even in baseball do they want to compete with Cuba. – Fidel Castro
We are not here to say goodbye to Che and his comrades. We are here to welcome them. I see Che and his men as a battalion of invincible combatants, who have come to fight alongside us and to write new pages of history and of glory. – Fidel Castro
to turn it into a body which is truly representative of the interest of all the peoples of the world. – Fidel Castro
We are mobilizing precisely to thwart the plans of those who don’t want the child to return, … This is not a demonstration against the United States and much less against the American people. – Fidel Castro
We would never accept it, … Even if they offered us a billion dollars, we’d refuse it. – Fidel Castro
there certainly is evidence that both Cuba and Venezuela have been involved in the situation in Bolivia in unhelpful ways. – Fidel Castro
Why is it that criminal policies and absurd blockades that include food and medicines are being added … with the purpose of annihilating whole populations out of hunger and diseases? – Fidel Castro
What kind of cosmetic solutions are we going to provide? … The very modesty of these goals is shameful. – Fidel Castro
The government of President Bush knows very well that no government in the world can accept such a perverse insult to its dignity and sovereignty. – Fidel Castro
translate into an act of aggression against Cuba. But we know that at this time that is not the fundamental thinking of the U.S. government. – Fidel Castro
You cannot do this without the authorization of the father, … I sincerely think that this boy is at risk in the hands of desperate people, and the government of the United States should not be running this risk. – Fidel Castro
We will be there, but I would never have thought I would have to answer that question. – Fidel Castro
We had to fulfill the promise that we would resist, we would fight, and we would win, even if we were left absolutely on our own. – Fidel Castro
Whatever we get will be used there for the martyrs of Katrina, be it one million (dollars), two, three or four. The money will go there without any doubt and with great satisfaction, because it will heighten the moral of our athletes. – Fidel Castro
We will wait as many days as necessary. – Fidel Castro
We will talk and we will help ourselves in a dignified manner in cases of disaster. – Fidel Castro
When I reached the concrete area, about 15 or 20 meters from the first row of chairs, I did not realize that there was a relatively high curb from the pavement to the crowd. My left foot came down into the air, because of the difference in height. The momentum, and the law of gravity discovered some time ago by Newton, caused me, when I took that false step, to plunge forward until I fell, in a fraction of a second, onto the pavement. – Fidel Castro
We continue to wait patiently for a response. In the meantime, all of you will be taking intensive courses in immunology and also something that I should be doing — an intensive brush-up course in English. – Fidel Castro
There have been nothing but obstacles and difficulties of all kinds. – Fidel Castro
Could it be that the government of the United States feels hurt that Cuba cooperates with a brother nation? Does that offend the U.S. government … is it antidemocratic, is it a crime? – Fidel Castro
Cuba stands by Pakistan in this hour of trial. – Fidel Castro
Cuba knows no fear and despises deceit; it listens with respect but believes in its ideas; it firmly defends its principles and has nothing to hide from the world. – Fidel Castro
I send you, the Party, the Government and the Korean people, our most sincere congratulations. – Fidel Castro
They always advertise it as mixed with something else. – Fidel Castro
They already turned on the little sign – the cockroaches are brave. – Fidel Castro
The rude provocations that have been undertaken from its Interests Office in Havana does not, and could not, have any other goal. – Fidel Castro
It would be a crime not to go to the appeal, … The passports are ready and of course the airplane is ready. – Fidel Castro
These doctors could all already be there providing their services. – Fidel Castro
Thank you for coming to reinforce us in the difficult struggle that we are undergoing today, to preserve the ideas that you fought so hard for. – Fidel Castro
Thank you Fidel Castro, thank you for existing. – Fidel Castro
The much publicized dissidence or alleged opposition in Cuba does not exist except in the overheated imagination of the Cuban-American mob and White House and State Department bureaucrats. – Fidel Castro
Sometimes I have the impression that our debates are unreal. It’s as though the United States didn’t exist, as though the empire and its hegemony didn’t exist. – Fidel Castro
You’ve put me on three times and I keep saying the same thing. – Fidel Castro
The U.S. should begin the changes before there can be change in Cuba. – Fidel Castro
This graduation was just a dream nearly seven years ago, … Today is proof of the capacity of human beings to reach the most lofty goals. – Fidel Castro
This battle against nature we will also win. – Fidel Castro
They should put those signs inside, not outside. – Fidel Castro
also means defying the powerful forces inside and outside our country. – Fidel Castro
There was illiteracy, the workers were being expelled from the factories, and the best lands where in the hands of the rich. That’s why the revolution triumphed. – Fidel Castro
There will be no escape for those who want to live like parasites at any price, at any cost, outside the law. – Fidel Castro
This mafia not only operates from Miami. It has set up an organization that operates from Mexico, using remote places for new routes. – Fidel Castro
