Leon Trotsky

Insurrection is an art, and like all arts has its own laws.

The historic ascent of humanity, taken as a whole, may be summarized as a succession of victories of consciousness over blind forces – in nature, in society, in man himself.

From being a patriotic myth, the Russian people have become an awful reality.

Tell me anyway–Maybe I can find the truth by comparing the lies.

You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.

The masses go into a revolution not with a prepared plan of social reconstruction, but with a sharp feeling that they cannot endure the old regime. Only the guiding layers of a class have a political program, and even this still requires the test of events and the approval of the masses.

The other people I don’t take too seriously are the critics-except when they stand in the way of my projects. In my opinion, they mostly write to impress each other, and they’re just as swayed by fashions as anyone else. One week it’s spare glass towers they are praising to the skies. The next week, they’ve rediscovered old, and they’re celebrating detail and ornamentation.

It’s a new endeavour for me. I’ve never run a territory. I’ve never talked publicly to people. I’ve got to try it just to see whether I like it.

Every man must decide for himself whether he shall master his world or be mastered by it.

Acquiring the habit of note-taking is therefore a wonderfully complementary skill to that of listening.

[To his ex-entertainment lawyer Eric Eisner who resigned from the presidency of The David Geffen Company in 1991 just as a deal was about to be made with some Japanese] Keep your stock. [Eric sold it.]

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.

Businesses that grow by development and improvement do not die.

It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most.

What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.

I was the most productive when I was in a flex situation. Do not check for me for needless meetings.

Success will always be measured by the extent to which we serve the buying public.

Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.

Did I have a problem with lying to get the job? None whatsoever.

The art of effective listening is essential to clear communication, and clear communication is necessary to management success.

The greatest teacher I know is the job itself.