Wilhelm Liebknecht

We will not turn from the old tactics, nor from the old program. Ever advancing with science and economic development, we are what we were and we will remain what we are. Or – the Social Democracy will cease to exist.

Socialism cannot conquer nor redeem the world if it ceases to believe upon itself alone.

Social Democracy must remain for itself, must seek for and generate its power within itself. Every power outside of ourselves on which we seek to lean is for us only weakness. In the consciousness of our strength, in our faith in the …

Long live international socialism!

We cannot traffic in our principles, we can make no compromise, no agreement with the ruling system. We must break with the ruling system and fight it to a finish. It must fall that socialism may arise, and we certainly cannot expect from …

If the way to hell is paved with good intentions, the way to defeat is paved with illusions.

In these days, under the rule of capitalism, a government, even if it is full of philanthropy and animated by the best of intentions, can do nothing of real value to our cause. One must keep free from illusions.

We socialists are one nation to ourselves, – one and the same international nation in all the lands of the earth.

We dare not do all that our opponents do. We dare not sacrifice everything for advantages. For what is an advantage to our opponents is deadly poison to us. The nobility say of themselves, '; so we may say, socialisme oblige, socialism …

The purity of our principles, the idealism of our struggle, these are factors of strengthening and drawing power that have given to us courage for all our battles, and have given to our doctrines an irresistible attraction for all who feel …

The class struggle tactics is not only more correct in principle; it is also more practical and successful than compromise tactics.

we shall almost never go right if we do what our enemies applaud

We shall never go wrong if we do what is opposed to the interests of our enemy.

The proletariat stands politically as well as socially in the most abrupt contradiction to the present class state. It must fight it on all fields and upon every question, both of domestic and of foreign policy.

Distrust was counted as a democratic virtue, and over-confidence as a democratic vice.

The social democracy of Germany must fulfill the role of champions of political freedom. The task of uniting the struggle for economic independence with that for political liberty has fallen upon the German laboring class.

This is not an end, but only a means to an end.

is our pride and our strength.

The establishment, elaboration and clarifying of our program we leave to science, which in our present society is the business of only a few. But the practical application of our program, and the tactics of the party are the business of …

We recognize no infallible Pope, not even a literary one.

we recognize no infallibility and no other authority than science, whose sphere is ever widening and continually proves what it previously held as truths to be errors; destroys the old decayed foundations and creates new ones; does not …

This foundation of the class struggle, which Marx – and this is his immortal service – has given to the modern labor movement, is the main point of attack in the battle which the bourgeois political economy is waging with socialism.

It was not possible by any allurements to take from the workingmen the recognition of the inseparability of socialism from democracy and of democracy from socialism.

The highest triumph of Bismarckian politics carried its downfall and bankruptcy within it.