From Bob Avakian

“Many people say they don’t believe revolution is possible in this country. I’ll tell you something, the people who run this country do.”
From Bullets from the Writings, Speeches & Interviews of Bob Avakian, p. 64  

“You cannot break all the chains, except one.  You cannot say you want to be free of exploitation and oppression, except you want to keep the oppression of women by men.  You can’t say you want to liberate humanity yet keep one half of the people enslaved to the other half.  The oppression of women is completely bound up with the division of society into masters and slaves, exploiters and exploited, and the ending of all such conditions is impossible without the complete liberation of women.  All this is why women have a tremendous role to play not only in making revolution but in making sure there is all-the-way revolution. The fury of women can and must be fully unleashed as a mighty force for proletarian revolution.”
Previously unpublished

“One of the significant if perhaps subtle and often little-noticed ways in which the enemy, even in defeat, seeks to exact revenge on the revolution and sow the seeds of its future undoing is in what he would force the revolutionaries to become in order to defeat him.  It will come to this: we will have to face him in the trenches and defeat him amidst terrible destruction but we must not in the process annihilate the fundamental difference between the enemy and ourselves. Here the example of Marx is illuminating: he repeatedly fought at close quarters with the ideologists and apologists of the bourgeoisie but he never fought them on their terms or with their outlook; with Marx his method is as exhilarating as his goal is inspiring.  We must be able to maintain our firmness of principles but at the same time our flexibility, our materialism and our dialectics, our realism and our romanticism, our solemn sense of purpose and our sense of humor.”
From For a Harvest of Dragons, p. 152

“There will never be a revolutionary movement in this country that doesn’t fully unleash and give expression to the sometimes openly expressed, sometimes expressed in partial ways, sometimes expressed in wrong ways, but deeply, deeply felt desire to be rid of these long centuries of oppression [of Black people]. There’s never gonna be a revolution in this country, and there never should be, that doesn’t make that one key foundation of what it’s all about.”
From “The Oppression of Black People & The Revolutionary Struggle to End All Oppression,” Revolution, #78, p.7

“There is nothing sacred to us about the USA, as it’s presently constituted, or about the borders of the U.S. as they are presently constituted. Quite the opposite.”
From Bullets from the Writings, Speeches & Interviews of Bob Avakian, p. 174

"The Bible belt is also the lynching belt."
From the talk "God Doesn't Exist - And We Need Liberation Without Gods."

“People look at what religion calls ‘the heavens.’ They look at the stars, the galaxies. They can see a small part of the vastness of the universe, and they can imagine the greater vastness of the universe. Or they can look on a small scale, look with a microscope and see a small microbe or whatever, and be amazed by what goes on internally within that. They can ponder the relation between what you can see with a microscope and what you can see with a telescope. This is an essential quality of human beings. Human beings will always strive for this. Far from trying to suppress this, or failing to recognize it, we can and should and will give much fuller expression to it.

“Communism will not put an end to–nor somehow involve the suppression of–awe and wonder, the imagination, and ‘the need to be amazed.’ On the contrary, it will give much greater, and increasing scope to this. It will give flight on a much grander scale to the imagination, in dialectical relation with–and in an overall sense as a part of –a systematic and comprehensive scientific outlook and method for comprehending and transforming reality.”
From “Materialism and Romanticism: Can We Do Without Myth?” (Revolutionary Worker #1211, August 24, 2003)

“Every religion in the world believes that every other religion is superstition. And they’re all correct.”
From Bullets from the Writings, Speeches & Interviews of Bob Avakian, p.210

“If you don’t have a poetic spirit–or at least a poetic side–it is very dangerous for you to lead a Marxist movement or be the leader of a socialist state.”
From Observations on Art and Culture, Science and Society, p.32

“When I look at all this, I think again of my friend who decided to dedicate his life to ending cancer–and of the even greater need to put an end to the system of capitalism-imperialism and all the suffering and oppression this system embodies and enforces throughout the world. You see that there isn’t anything more important that your life could be about, and whatever you end up contributing during the course of your lifetime is the most important and uplifting thing that you could possibly do. And yes, there are moments of great disappointment, but also moments of great joy as part of this.  There is the joy that comes from seeing the ways in which people break free of constraints and rise up and begin to see the world as it really is and take up more consciously the struggle to change it. There is the joy of knowing that you are part of this whole process and contributing what you can to it. There is the joy of the camaraderie of being together with others in this struggle and knowing that it is something worthwhile, that it is not something petty and narrow that you are involved in but something uplifting. There is the joy of looking to the future and envisioning the goal that you are struggling for and seeing people come to even a beginning understanding of what that could mean, not just for themselves but for society, for humanity as a whole.”
From From Ike to Mao and Beyond: My Journey from Mainstream America to Revolutionary Communist, pp. 445-6

What people
are saying
about Bob Avakian

Cornel West, commenting on From Ike to Mao and Beyond
“Bob Avakian is a long distance runner in the freedom struggle against imperialism, racism and capitalism. His voice and witness are indispensable in our efforts to enhance the wretched of the earth. And his powerful story of commitment is timely.”

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From a letter from a prisoner forwarded from Insight Press to Revolution, commenting on Observations on Art and Culture, Science and Philosophy
“I could read Bob Avakian all day long, literally. His writings speak to me very powerfully and profoundly. He doesn’t speak as an 'intellectual' to the masses; he speaks intellectually to the masses, in a way that’s easy to grasp a hold of and figure into our everyday lives and scattered ideas and feelings about our place in society and the system which exploits and oppresses us and gives form and organization and orientation to all this. It’s very motivating and inspiring when everything that troubles us finds accessible interpretation and a 'bright' though 'tortuous' future is unfolded before us.”

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Howard Zinn, commenting on From Ike to Mao and Beyond
“A truly interesting account of Bob Avakian’s life, a humanizing portrait of someone who is often seen only as a hard-line revolutionary. I can understand why Bob Avakian has drawn so many ardent supporters. He speaks to people’s alienation from a warlike and capitalist society, and holds out the possibility for radical change.”

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Comments from a proletarian, after listening to Bob Avakian's talk "Conservatism, Christian Fundamentalism, Liberalism and Paternalism...Bill Cosby and Bill Clinton... Not All 'Right' but All Wrong!"
“This takes me back to all the stuff they have done to us, all the discrimination... I get it now, it’s the system! It’s the system that’s responsible for all this stuff that’s happened to us. It’s the system. They always blaming us when it’s the system.”

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Bill Martin, Professor of Philosophy, DePaul University, in introduction to Marxism and the Call of the Future
“Perhaps I am being willfully naive in saying this, but I think that most people in their heart of hearts understand that the system is not a good one, that it is fundamentally unfair and often quite horrible. Surely many people understand, too, that we can only do so many nasty things to the planet and expect it to remain a place that sustains human life. Some of this understanding is even expressed in desperate attempts to deny these things. I am pleased to talk with anyone who believes in the necessity for systemic change, but Bob Avakian is in a special category for me, because he is not only engaged with the attempt to theorize the world and what it would take to change it, but he is also playing a special role in organizing and leading that change.”

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Communist artist, commenting on DVD Revolution: Why It’s Necessary, Why It’s Possible, What It’s All About
“Quite frankly, many people have never heard anyone say the things Chairman Avakian said, or have ever heard anyone talk about this world, this social system, this society and another possible society and way of living in the way he did before. This talk addressed questions that literally millions of people all over the world are agonizing over at this moment.”

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Tom Harker, Free Press review
“In addition to recounting a life lived during very interesting and important times; in addition to recounting his involvement with significant historical figures and events; beyond sharing his personal story; in From Ike to Mao and Beyond, Bob Avakian offers a fresh, new look at a system of thought that has, by some, been consigned to the 'ash heap of history.'… Bob Avakian's new and innovative conception of 'Communism' deserves consideration.”

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From a letter from Joanne Rojas, proletarian woman, printed in Revolution, Aug 20, 2006
“A different world is possible. And I think we need Bob Avakian out there much more explaining to people what that different world, a communist world, could be. And I think this all needs to happen pretty fast because the Bush regime are trying to sew things up. And they are going to try and shut Bob Avakian up, so more people need to have his back and defend him.... Now, especially, I really believe we need Bob Avakian’s leadership. The masses need him and his ability to take really complex ideas about revolution and communism and 'break it down' to people—like he says, 'Revolution: why it’s necessary, why it’s possible, and what it’s all about.'”

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Reverend George W. Webber, Professor of Urban Ministry and President Emeritus, New York Theological Seminary, commenting on Preaching From a Pulpit of Bones: We Need Morality but Not Traditional Morality
"For this clergyman who has struggled with the relevance of the Biblical faith in the face of the crises in our society, the critique of Bob Avakian comes as an urgent challenge. His thoughtful analysis underlines the urgency of recognizing how shallow has been our understanding and how futile has been much of our effort to work for a just society. There is insight and truth-speaking in this vital book which those of us of religious faith need to hear and to which we need to respond."

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Man from El Salvador commenting on Bob Avakian at a reading of his memoir
“We are all human beings. Avakian has in his understanding what is in the interests of humanity as a whole. He looks at the world in its totality. His books need to be spread throughout Central America, especially El Salvador and Nicaragua. We know about Lenin. We know about Mao. But they don’t know about Avakian. He must become visible to them.”

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Elemental Magazine review of From Ike to Mao and Beyond
“The reader gets information about the Black Power struggle and black nationalist organizations that is available nowhere else. Avakian’s recollections speak volumes about contemporary race relations and recount the important events of several eras … entertaining and honest.”

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Hal Perry, member of the University of San Francisco Dons NCAA basketball champions, 1955-56
“'That’s right, he’s good, that’s fantastic, ooh boy, that’s a powerful statement.' These were some of the things I said while listening to the talk by Bob Avakian, 'The NBA: Marketing the Minstrel Show and Serving the Big Gangsters.' I really appreciated hearing this talk. Everything he’s saying about sports, I lived through it. While listening to Part 1 of the talk, I couldn’t believe how deeply and accurately Bob Avakian described everything. Anyone who listens to this talk is put in a better position to understand what really went on. It’s unbelievable how it describes what happened to Black players. It is so excellent and incredible, I can’t begin to express everything I think about it and I need to listen to it again. If you took a group of high school kids and had them sit down and listen to this, they’d never be the same again.”

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Comments by a woman after showing of the DVD Revolución in Mexico City
“It’s like we’re in a situation where we don’t know where to go. It feels like an atmosphere of distrust, fear of the future, instability. I feel like there are no guidelines or parameters on where to go. But I think Bob Avakian has a plan full of hope in the face of uncertainty that weighs on people.”

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San Francisco Chronicle review of From Ike to Mao and Beyond
“Berkeley-bred Avakian’s new memoir… leaves a breathtaking impression. Having deepened and purified his convictions over 40 years of personal and political struggle, Avakian sounds a high, sustained cry for complete social transformation almost as if he were the trumpet of Lenin himself.”

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Carol Downer, co-founder, Feminist Women’s Health Centers, commenting on From Ike to Mao and Beyond
“Bob Avakian brings candor and sometimes retrospective insight into what it means to grow up white and male in our patriarchal, capitalistic culture and still to emerge as a leader of the fight against social injustice. His memoir is fascinating and inspirational.”

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Juan Gomez-Quiñones, historian and writer, UCLA, commenting on From Ike to Mao and Beyond
“I thought of storytelling, and the way that Native Americans talk about the importance and positive power of storytelling. What I see is a very powerful updating of storytelling of our times… Bob Avakian travels a journey from a certain yesterday to a possible tomorrow in From Ike to Mao and Beyond. This diary of hopes and journal of lessons narrates how some youth went from troubling days to challenging actions to sharing dreams. Bob Avakian imagines and knows he is not the only one and he is ready to share dreams, his and ours. His shared experiences, with unflinching candor and generous warmth, are his respects for those of strong heart and clear mind, those ready to do the work of getting to the other side of history."

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Reverend Earl Kooperkamp, Pastor, St. Marys Church, Harlem, NYC, commenting on Revolution: Why It’s Necessary, Why It’s Possible, What It’s All About
“In times like these, this clear voice for social change is a welcome relief from all the confusion and lies. Listen, and you will truly hear a voice of reason, with sharp analysis and deep understanding, going up against the tide of injustice and oppression. Of crucial importance is the fearless opposition to the rise of the Christian right and its pernicious effect on the political and cultural life in this country. While you might not agree with everything he says, he will challenge you with his insights and a clarion call to what must be done.”

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Allen Wood, philosophy professor, Stanford University, commenting on Marxism and the Call of the Future, by Bob Avakian and Bill Martin
“At this dark time in the history of our country and of the world, we need some new conversations about Marx and the socialist tradition–conversations free of dogmatism, open to ideas from all sides, but oriented in a progressive direction and eager to learn from thinking critically within the Marxist tradition. This book provides us with one model of what those kinds of conversations can be like.”