Who said “A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing…”?

Verified

Mao Zedong. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceQuotations from Chairman Mao Zedong (The Little Red Book), Chapter 2, originally published in Report on an investigation of the peasant movement in Hunan (March 1927), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 28.

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“A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.”
— Mao Zedong
VerifiedQuotations from Chairman Mao Zedong (The Little Red Book), Chapter 2, originally published in Report on an investigation of the peasant movement in Hunan (March 1927), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 28. · evidenceRevolutions and Revolutionaries
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong (The Little Red Book), Chapter 2, originally published in Report on an investigation of the peasant movement in Hunan (March 1927), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 28..

APA

Zedong, M. (n.d.). A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36019-a-revolution-is-not-a-dinner-party-or/

MLA

Zedong, Mao. “A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36019-a-revolution-is-not-a-dinner-party-or/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Zedong, Mao. “A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36019-a-revolution-is-not-a-dinner-party-or/.

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