“When the enemy slanders us, that is good. Because it proves that there is a clear line between them and us. When the enemy paints us in the blackest colors, that’s better. Because it shows that there is not only a clear distinction between them and us but also we have achieved a great deal in our work.”
“Marxism emphasizes the importance of theory precisely and only because it can guide action. If we have a correct theory but merely prate about it, pigeonhole it and do not put it into practice, then that theory, however good, is of no significance…
We must draw a clear line between ourselves and the enemy.”
– Mao
“We were so terribly consistent, when it came to exhibiting human strength and understanding, at the same time as we were barely politically radical, even harmless, when it came to altering social conditions and effecting real change.”
— From a 1997 Interview for Taz magazine with Stefan Wisniewski, member of the Red Army Faction of Germany
A six-year-old girl has become a media darling in China on her first day of school by expressing her aspiration to become a “corrupt official” when she grows up, state media said on Friday.
“When I grow up I want to be an official,” said the girl, whose face was blurred to protect her identity.
“What kind of official?” the interviewer asked.
“A corrupt official because corrupt officials have a lot of things,” she replied.
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“People read snippets of Adam Smith, the few phrases they teach in school. Everybody reads the first paragraph of The Wealth of Nations where he talks about how wonderful the division of labor is. But not many people get to the point hundreds of pages later, where he says that division of labor will destroy human beings and turn people into creatures as stupid and ignorant as it is possible for a human being to be. And therefore in any civilized society the government is going to have to take some measures to prevent division of labor from proceeding to its limits.”
— Noam Chomsky on Adam Smith and the Wealth of Nations
See Also: The Myth Versus the Reality of Adam Smith’s Political Economy, The Immorality of High Taxes, and Dead Ideas Introduction.
[tags]adam smith, noam chomsky, wealth of nations, division of labor, impact of division of labor[/tags]
