Logo - Feel The Words

Chairman Mao Quotes and Historical Memory

China's Mao era, remembered

These quotes describe the cultural presence of Chairman Mao in daily life, from uniforms worn across Guangzhou to how Children were raised to follow his words.

When I first came to Guangzhou in 1981, it seemed such a hard and dour place with everyone in Chairman Mao uniforms.

Quotes by Zaha Hadid

One word from Chairman Mao is worth ten thousand from others. His every statement is truth. We must carry out those we that understand as well as those we don't.

Quotes by Lin Biao

It's much easier to wear a Chairman Mao button and shake your fists in the air and all that, then to actually read the Communist manifesto and things like that and actually become involved in politics.

Quotes by Lester Bangs

Basically no, I mean I think that it's very easy to like I say, smoke a joint or even to wear a Chairman Mao button, or do a lot of these things with out knowing what's behind it, and what...

Quotes by Lester Bangs

Children Quotes

If children were brought up to become non-conformists it would only ruin their lives. So parents all over China who loved their children told them to do as Chairman Mao said. It was not possible to tell them anything else.

Quotes by Jung Chang

Just as Chairman Mao and Joseph Stalin started by going after the intellectuals, against those whose words who might form an opposition to them, so Trump has gone across us. Free speech is first among equals when we look at...

Quotes by Andrew Solomon

Frequently Asked Questions

What do these quotes say about daily life during the Chairman Mao era?
One speaker recalls Guangzhou in 1981 as a place where nearly everyone wore Chairman Mao-style uniforms, describing the visual uniformity of the period as striking and somewhat somber.
How did families relate to Mao's authority, according to these quotes?
One quote describes parents across China encouraging their Children to follow what Chairman Mao said, largely because raising nonconformist children was seen as risky for their futures under the political conditions of the time.
Was Mao's authority treated as absolute in these quotes?
One quote describes a single statement from Chairman Mao being valued above ten thousand words from anyone else, illustrating how much authority his words carried within the political culture of that era, as recalled by the speaker.
Do any quotes discuss Mao-era symbols outside China?
Yes — one speaker reflects on how casually people elsewhere might wear a Chairman Mao button or reference the era without fully grasping its historical weight, noting how Easy it is to adopt symbols superficially.
Do these quotes take a position on Mao's legacy?
No — they're presented here as personal recollections and observations from different speakers about the era's culture and authority, without endorsing or condemning any particular political viewpoint.

Others reflect on the era with more distance, noting how Easy it can be to reference Mao-era symbols casually without fully understanding their history.