Ruhollah Khomeini: Trending quotes

“if you hope at this juncture to cut the Gordian knots of socialism and communism by appealing to the center of Western capitalism, you will, far from remedying any of the ills of your society, commit a mistake which those to come will have to erase. For if Marxism has come to a deadlock in its social and economic policies, capitalism has also bogged down.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Letter to Russian Premier Gorbachev, January 1989. http://politicalquotes.org/node/68478
Foreign policy

Hope , Communication

“We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah. For patriotism is another name for paganism. I say let this land [Iran] burn. I say let this land go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant in the rest of the world.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

As quoted in Nest of Spies : America's Journey to Disaster in Iran (1989) by Amir Taheri, p. 269. Disputed by historian Shaul Bakhash.
Disputed

World

“In the world there is no democracy better than our democracy. Such a thing has never before been seen.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Clive Foss, The Tyrants: 2500 Years of Absolute Power and Corruption, London: Quercus Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1905204965, p. 195
Attributed

World , Democracy

“You young people yourselves are capable of performing anything. Our inventors can invent in a high level, Our innovators can innovate in a high level, only if they keep self confidence and believe that we can.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Addressing an audience of Iranian industry workers and inventors (October 1983); quoted in "Imam's Sahife" vol. 18 p. 189,190.
Foreign policy

People , Confidence , Self-confidence

“From the beginning while we were engaged in these issues, I said in interviews with those who came from abroad, even in Najaf or Paris or among my personal words, I have always said that clerics have an occupation which is more important than these executive jobs, and should Islam become victorious, clerics would dedicate themselves to their own occupation. But as we went on with the revolution, we found out that if we tell all clerics to go after their mosques, this country would fall into the throat of America and Soviet Union. We experienced and saw, those who took the lead but were not clerics, even though some of them were religious people, our revolutionary path was not according to their taste, therefore… we temporarily deviate from our original word until this country could be administered by those other than clerics, then clerics will go back to their preach and their own position and they will leave executive matters to others who work for Islam.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Imam's Sahife. vol. 16, p. 349,350. (21 June 1982)
Foreign policy

People , Victory , Personality , Country

“This regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Just How Far Did They Go, Those Words Against Israel?, The New York Times, June 11, 2006, 2007-08-13 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/weekinreview/11bronner.html?ex=1307678400&en=efa2bd266224e880&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss,
Foreign policy

Time

“The people will not rest until the Pahlavi rule has been swept away and all traces of tyranny have disappeared. As long as the Shah's satanic power prevails, not a single true representative of the people can possibly be elected.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Response to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's announcement of elections (August 1978); quoted in "The Shah's Divided Land" (18 September 1978) Time
Foreign policy

People

“With people's revolutionary rage, the king will be ousted and a democratic state, Islamic Republic, will be established.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

"Imam's Sahife" vol. 4 p. 244 (1 November 1978).
Foreign policy

People , Rage

“In the Islamic government all people have complete freedom to have any kind of opinion.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Foreign policy
Source: Interview with Human Rights Watch, Paris (10 November 1978)

People , Freedom

“Before the revolution I thought there are appropriate individuals who would do the job according to Islam, therefore I repeatedly said that clerics would go after their own job. Then I saw that most of them were inappropriate individuals and I found out that what I said was not true, so I came and clearly announced that I was wrong.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Imam's Sahife. vol. 18, p. 241. (11 December 1983)
Foreign policy

“Give them Islam, proclaim to the world the program of Islamic government; maybe the kings and presidents of the Muslim countries will understand the truth of what we say and accept it. We would not want to take anything away from them; we will leave anyone in his place who faithfully follows Islam.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Tahrir al-Vasileh, 1970. http://politicalquotes.org/node/54102
Foreign policy

Truth , World , Understanding , Country

“Variant: I shall kick their teeth in. I am appointing the government. I am appointing the government by the support of this nation!”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Speech at Behesht Zahra cemetery (1 February 1979), condemning the government of Shapour Bakhtiar

Support

“All those against the revolution must disappear and quickly be executed.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Quoted by dissident cleric Hossein-Ali Montazeri, once in line to be Iran's supreme leader. ShiaNews.com (17 December 2000) http://www.shianews.com/hi/asia/news_id/0000573.php. This statement is said to have been made after the Mojahedin-e Khalgh militant organization launched an offensive against Iranian troops from bases in Iraq.
Attributed
Variant: Variant: All those against the revolution, that insist on their position, must disappear and quickly be executed.

“In Islam, democracy is included and people are free in Islam, both in expressing their opinions and their actions, until there is no conspiracy and they don't bring up ideas which would deviate Iranian generation.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Imam's Sahife, vol. 5, p. 468. (15 January 1979)
Foreign policy

People , Democracy , Idea

“… in our domestic and foreign policy, … we have set as our goal the world-wide spread of the influence of Islam … We wish to cause the corrupt roots of Zionism, capitalism and Communism to wither throughout the world. We wish, as does God almighty, to destroy the systems which are based on these three foundations, and to promote the Islamic order of the Prophet …”

Ruhollah Khomeini

[//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_thought_and_legacy_of_Ruhollah_Khomeini#cite_ref-111]

God , World , Communication

“In the Islamic Republic the rights of the religious minorities are respectfully regarded.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Interview for Austrian television, Paris, (6 November 1978), as quoted in "Democracy? I meant theocracy — The most truthful individual in recent history" by Dr. Jalal Matini,and Farhad Mafie, in The Iranian (5 August 2003) http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/2003/August/Khomeini/
Foreign policy

“Ayatollah, would you be so kind as to tell us how you feel about being back in Iran?
Nothing. I don't feel anything.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Hichi. Hich ehsasi nadaram
Exchange between American reporter Peter Jennings and Khomeini (1 February 1979), during Khomeini's return flight to Iran; quoted in Elaine Sciolino (2001) Persian Mirrors. Khomeini's translator did not translate his response, but said only that he had no comment.

Feeling

“Women are free in the Islamic Republic in the selection of their activities and their future and their clothing.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Interview for The Guardian in Paris (6 November 1978)
Foreign policy

Women , Future , Clothes

“These people are trying to bring back the regime of the late Shah or another regime. I will strike with my fists at the mouths of this government. From now on it is I who will name the government.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Foreign policy

People

“After the Shah's departure from Iran, I will not become a president nor accept any other leadership role. Just like before, I limit my activities only to guiding and directing the people.”

Ruhollah Khomeini

Le Monde interview in Paris (9 January 1979)
Foreign policy

People , Departure