“The foundation of irreligious criticism is: Man makes religion, religion does not make man.”

Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries unite!

The working class is revolutionary or it is nothing.

Religion is, indeed, the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has either not yet won through to himself, or has already lost himself again.

Religion is only the illusory Sun which revolves around man as long as he does not revolve around himself.

Man makes his own history, but he does not make it out of the whole cloth; he does not make it out of conditions chosen by himself, but out of such as he finds close at hand.

We have no compassion and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror.

Moments are the elements of profit.

Be careful to trust a person who does not like wine.

The less you eat, drink and read books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorize, sing, paint, fence, etc.

The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion.

Surround yourself with people who make you happy.

The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain.

As exchange-values, all commodities are merely definite quantities of congealed labour-time.

The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother’s care, shall be in state institutions.

Social reforms are never carried out by the weakness of the strong; but always by the strength of the weak.

The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property.

Do not presume, well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed, to criticize the poor

A book in a man’s brain is better off than a book bound in calf – at any rate it is safer from criticism.

Nothing, it is true, is more common than for both Science and Art to pay homage to the spirit of the age, and for creative taste to accept the law of critical taste.

It’s easier to criticize somebody else, than to see yourself.

You make movies for the people. If critics happen to like them too, well, that’s a home run.

I’m a perfectionist. I’m very critical, especially artistically.

No matter how much you’re going to be criticized or no matter how big of a risk it is, the boldness is the thing that helps you.

The aim of critique is not the ends of man or of reason but in the end the Overman, the overcome, overtaken man. The point of critique is not justification but a different way of feeling: another sensibility.