French Prime Minister (1872-1950)
This tactic of relying on masses lacking in class consciousness, led, in ignorance of what they are about, by the vanguards, this tactic of conquering political power by a mighty surprise blow--we cannot accept it. We believe that it will lead the proletariat into the most tragic disillusionments. We believe that, in the present state of capitalist society, it would be madness to count on unorganized masses. We know, in France, what unorganized masses are, whom they march behind one day and whom the next.
LÉON BLUM
speech at the Socialist Party Congress at Tours, 27 December 1920
When a woman is twenty, a child deforms her; when she is thirty, he preserves her; and when forty, he makes her young again.
LÉON BLUM
On Marriage
My belief is rooted in hope.
LÉON BLUM
attributed, Dictionary of Foreign Quotations
The free man is he who does not fear to go to the end of his thought.
LÉON BLUM
attributed, Webster's Quotations, Facts and Phrases
To a world situation that appears entirely novel to you, there ought to correspond an entirely new conception of socialism.
LÉON BLUM
speech at the Socialist Party Congress at Tours, 27 December 1920
There is no other limit to the size of the Socialist party than the number of workers and wage-earners.
LÉON BLUM
speech at the Socialist Party Congress at Tours, 27 December 1920
Let all of us, though we are separated, remain socialists. Despite everything, let us remain brothers, brothers separated by a quarrel which is cruel but which is, nonetheless, a family quarrel, and whom a common hearth may some day reunite.
LÉON BLUM
speech at the Socialist Party Congress at Tours, 27 December 1920
Life does not give itself to one who tries to keep all its advantages at once. I have often thought morality may perhaps consist solely in the courage of making a choice.
LÉON BLUM
Marriage
No government can remain stable in an unstable society and an unstable World.
LÉON BLUM
On a Human Scale
It is really quite extraordinary that some people should speak to us of tyranny in the present Party: tyranny of bosses, tyranny of elected parliamentary deputies. I don't know what means the deputies employ today to exercise their tyranny, but at least you know who they are, and you can take their means away from them. From where will you take them tomorrow? From anonymities, from unknown persons, from masks.
LÉON BLUM
speech at the Socialist Party Congress at Tours, 27 December 1920
There is everywhere the life of the people, everywhere liberty, everywhere a free atmosphere, everywhere popular supervision, everywhere responsibility. Some people speak of bosses. There were no bosses at all in the Socialist party. Supervision was exercised or can be exercised over those so-called bosses. It used to depend--and it still depends--on the members to invoke the relevant statutory regulations. A strong supervisory control is organized by them and depends only on their initiative.
LÉON BLUM
speech at the Socialist Party Congress at Tours, 27 December 1920
I refuse to tell myself that all the work of the past has been worthless, and that everything remains to be done. No, much has been done, and you have no right to deny it to yourselves and to disavow those efforts today.
LÉON BLUM
speech at the Socialist Party Congress at Tours, 27 December 1920