The guerrilla band is not to be considered inferior to the army against which it fights simply because it is inferior in fire power.
It is a revolution that came to power with its own army and on the ruins of the army of oppression.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on a transformative movement that overthrew an oppressive regime through strength and determination.
Che Guevaraβs quote emphasizes the idea of revolutionary change, highlighting how a movement can rise to power by dismantling an existing oppressive force. It speaks to the tumultuous yet powerful nature of revolutions, where the downfall of an unjust system often leads to the emergence of a new order, driven by the will and efforts of those who seek change. The mention of 'its own army' signifies that the revolution is a collective effort, demonstrating solidarity among those fighting for freedom.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a speech about historical revolutions.
More from Che Guevara
All quotes βEvery day People straighten up the hair, why not the heart?
The final hour of colonialism has struck, and millions of inhabitants of Africa, Asia and Latin America rise to meet a new life and demand their unrestricted right to self-determination.
We must carry the war into every corner the enemy happens to carry it, to his home, to his centers of entertainment: a total war. It is necessary to prevent him from having a moment of peace, a quiet moment outside his barracks or even inside; we must attack him wherever he may be, make him feel like a cornered beast wherever he may move. Then his moral fiber shall begin to decline, but we shall notice how the signs of decadence begin to disappear.
This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams.
The desire to sacrifice an entire lifetime to the noblest of ideals serves no purpose if one works alone.
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The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that things are not mended again.
You cannot be the person they know and the great, glorious person you want to become. Not at the same time.
The Revolution did not assume a socialist nature because of support from the U.S.S.R.; it was the other way around: support from the U.S.S.R. was produced by the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution. To such a degree, that when the U.S.S.R. disappears, Cuba keeps on being socialist.
Come senators, congressmen, Please heed the call, Don't stand in the doorway, Don't block up the hall, For he that gets hurt, Will be he who has stalled, The battle outside ragin', Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls, For the times they are a-changin'...
One who returns to a place sees it with new eyes. Although the place may not have changed, the viewer inevitably has. For the first time things invisible before become suddenly visible.
The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.