The supreme principle of socialism is that man takes precedence over things, life over property, and hence, work over capital; that power follows creation, and not possession; that man must not be governed by circumstances, but circumstances must be governed by man.

Erich Fromm
About This Quote

In this quote, Karl Marx describes the principle of socialism as a complete reversal of the principle of capitalism. In the capitalist society, the individual is given everything that he needs to be happy and become a productive member of society. In a socialist society, however, the people are required to work to receive their basic needs. If the people don’t work for their lives, they often face starvation.

Karl Marx himself was a man who struggled for his life day in and day out. He had to work to survive and sometimes had to see his family grow weaker as he worked harder for them. In this quote, Marx is stating that if people are given everything that they need to survive without having to work for it, then society will not be able to move forward as a whole.

Source: On Disobedience: Why Freedom Means Saying No To Power

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