10 Most Interesting and Inspirational Fidel Castro Quotes

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz who was Cuba’s revolutionary leader has died on Friday (25 November) at age 90 as his brother and President Raul Castro announced on state television. The legendary leader was a titan of the Cold War and had pushed Cuba onto the world stage. He was the symbol of ‘Cuban Revolution’ and held power for almost 50 years before his brother Raul Castro formally took over as the president in 2008.
A controversial leader, Fidel Castro was hated by many people but also admired by many. Here are some of his most interesting quotes throughout the years.

10 – Capitalism and poverty – 1991

Fidel Castro meets Yuri Gagarin
Fidel Castro meets Yuri Gagarin – By Linux_Rocks (Marxists.org) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

“Capitalism has neither the capacity, nor the morality, nor the ethics to solve the problems of poverty.”

09 – Revolution – 1961

Fidel in Havana
Fidel in Havana – By Marcelo Montecino [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

“A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past.” , speech on the second anniversary of the Cuban Revolution

08 – His use of violence – 1953

Castro in Berlin
Castro in Berlin – Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-L0614-040 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de], via Wikimedia Commons

“Condemn me, it does not matter: history will absolve me.” , at his trial for the raid on Moncada Barracks

07 – George W. Bush – 2008

Fidel Castro with Hugo Chavez
Fidel Castro with Hugo Chavez

“For a country that can read, write and think, no one can make a more eloquent criticism of the empire than Bush himself.”

06 – Jesus Christ – 1985

Vladimir Putin in Cuba
Vladimir Putin in Cuba – Kremlin.ru [CC BY 3.0 or CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

“I never saw a contradiction between the ideas that sustain me and the ideas of that symbol, of that extraordinary figure, Jesus Christ.”

05 – About revolution’s rewards – 2003

Fidel with Che
Fidel with Che – See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

“One of the greatest benefits of the Revolution is that even our prostitutes are college graduates.” , to director Oliver Stone in the documentary Comandante

04 – His beard – 1959

Young Castro
Young Castro

“I’m not thinking to cut my beard, because … my beard means many things to my country. When we have fulfilled our promise of good government, I will cut my beard.” interview with CBS, 30 days after the start of the Revolution

03 – Religion – 2007

Mandela with Fidel Castro
Mandela with Fidel Castro

“If people call me Christian, not from the standpoint of religion but from the standpoint of social vision, I declare that I am a Christian.”

02 – Capitalism

Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro

“I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating… because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition.”

01 – Future of US-Cuba relations – 1973

Fidel Castro in Rostock
Fidel Castro in Rostock – Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-L0618-027 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de], via Wikimedia Commons

“United States will come to talk to us when they have a black president and the world has a Latin American pope.”