Hugo Chávez citations

„Si le climat était une banque, les pays riches l'auraient déjà sauvé.“

—  Hugo Chávez

„Nous sommes à un moment existentiel de la vie vénézuélienne. Nous avançons vers le socialisme, et rien ni personne ne pourra l'empêcher.“

—  Hugo Chávez

„Le capitalisme est une machine infernale qui produit chaque minute une quantité impressionnante de pauvres.“

—  Hugo Chávez

„Nous voulons des idées pour sauver notre planète, pour sauver la planète de la menace impérialiste. Et espérons que dans ce siècle-même, dans pas trop longtemps, nous verrons cette nouvelle ère. Et pour nos enfants et nos petits-enfants, un monde de paix basé sur les principes fondamentaux des Nations-Unies, mais de Nations-Unies rénovées. Et peut-être devrons-nous déménager leur siège. Peut-être devons nous le mettre ailleurs; peut-être dans une ville du Sud. Nous avons proposé le Venezuela.“

—  Hugo Chávez

„Comme Chomsky le dit [dans son livre] de façon claire et détaillée, l’empire américain fait tout ce qu’il peut pour consolider son système de domination. Et nous ne pouvons pas lui permettre de faire cela. Nous ne pouvons autoriser que la dictature mondiale se consolide. La déclaration du dépositaire du monde — cynique, hypocrite, emplie de cette hypocrisie impérialiste provenant de leur besoin de tout contrôler.“

—  Hugo Chávez

„Jusqu’à quand allons-nous permettre de telles injustices et inégalité? Jusqu’à quand allons-nous tolérer l’actuel ordre économique international et les mécanismes de marché en vigueur?“

—  Hugo Chávez

„Au-delà et au-dessus de tout cela, je pense que nous avons des raisons d’être optimistes. Un poète aurait dit « désespérément optimistes », parce qu’au-dessus et au-delà des guerres et des bombes et de la guerre agressive et préventive et la destruction de peuples entiers, on peut voir qu’une nouvelle ère se dessine.“

—  Hugo Chávez

„I have always said, heard, that it would not be strange that there had been civilization on Mars, but maybe capitalism arrived there, imperialism arrived and finished off the planet“

—  Hugo Chávez

2011

„When imperialism feels weak, it resorts to brute force. “

—  Hugo Chávez

„I'm a reading addict. I can't live without it, like someone who is addicted to drugs.“

—  Hugo Chávez

„Before anything else I would like to say good day to all of the Venezuelan people, and this Boliviarian message is directed to the brave soldiers in the Parachutist Regimen of Aragua and the Armed Brigade of Valencia. Friends: For now, lamentably, the objectives we considered were not achieved in the capital. That is to say, we here in Caracas have not managed to take power. You did very well over there, but now is the time to reflect; new situations will come and the country must definitively get on the path to a better destiny. So hear my word; hear Commander Chávez, who sends you this message so that you may please reflect and put down your weapons, because now, really, the objectives that we have brought to the national level are impossible to achieve. Friends: Hear this message of solidarity. I thank you for your loyalty, your valor, your exuberance, and I, before this country and before you all, assume responsibility for this Boliviarian militant movement. Thank you.“

—  Hugo Chávez

Hugo Chávez to Venezuelan television reporters just before being arrested for his participation in an attempted coup d'état, February 1992.
1992

„Capitalism is the way of the devil and exploitation, of the kind of misery and inequality that destroys social values. If you really look at things through the eyes of Jesus Christ - who I think was the first socialist - only socialism can really create a genuine society.“

—  Hugo Chávez

Source: As quoted in Reformism or Revolution: Marxism and socialism of the 21st Century (Reply to Heinz Dieterich) https://books.google.it/books?id=YHN9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT149&dq=%22Capitalism+is+the+way+of+the+devil+and+exploitation%22 (24 September 2006)

„We have arrived again to Venezuela, Thank God. Thanks to my beloved country.“

—  Hugo Chávez

After coming back to Caracas. Chávez was in Cuba receiving treatment for cancer. 18 February, 2013. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/02/18/chavez-venezuela-cancer/1927403/
He passed away on 2013/03/06 by cancer.
2013

„Some games teach you to kill. They once put my face on a game, 'You've got to find Chavez to kill him.“

—  Hugo Chávez

Chávez referring to the videogame Mercenaries 2: World in Flames where the player has to kill a Venezuelan general. Quoted in Chavez Sets His Sights On Banks And Barbie http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/15530090
2010

„The world has an offer for everybody but it turned out that a few minorities--the descendants of those who crucified Christ, the descendants of those who expelled Bolivar from here and also those who in a certain way crucified him in Santa Marta, there in Colombia--they took possession of the riches of the world, a minority took possession of the planet’s gold, the silver, the minerals, the water, the good lands, the oil, and they have concentrated all the riches in the hands of a few; less than 10 percent of the world population owns more than half of the riches of the world.“

—  Hugo Chávez

Chavez is invoking a Christian metaphor to condemn capitalism in this Christmas address, December 24, 2005, which some commentators have taken to be a reference to the Jews. http://www.gobiernoenlinea.gob.ve/docMgr/sharedfiles/Chavez_visita_Centro_Manantial_de_los_suenos24122005.pdf http://bostonreview.net/BR34.4/lomnitz_sanchez.php http://fair.org/take-action/media-advisories/editing-chavez-to-manufacture-a-slur/
2005

„Knowing English is important, but for us Venezuelans I think it would also be important to know Portuguese. For that reason, we should evaluate the possibility of it being taught in our schools.“

—  Hugo Chávez

Hugo Chávez during his television/radio show ¡Aló Presidente! on October 2, 2005.
2005

„Everyday I become more convinced, there is no doubt in my mind, as many intellectuals have said, that it is necessary to transcend capitalism. But capitalism can not be transcended through capitalism itself; it must be done through socialism, true socialism, with equality and justice. I’m also convinced that it is possible to do it under democracy, but not in the type of democracy being imposed by Washington.“

—  Hugo Chávez

Hugo Chávez during his closing speech at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil. January 31, 2005. http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1486
2005

„The descendants of those who crucified Christ… have taken ownership of the riches of the world, a minority has taken ownership of the gold of the world, the silver, the minerals, water, the good lands, petrol, well, the riches, and they have concentrated the riches in a small number of hands.“

—  Hugo Chávez

Christmas Speech at a rehabilitation center on December 24th, 2005. http://www.gobiernoenlinea.gob.ve/docMgr/sharedfiles/Chavez_visita_Centro_Manantial_de_los_suenos24122005.pdf
2005

„We have to re-invent socialism. It can’t be the kind of socialism that we saw in the Soviet Union, but it will emerge as we develop new systems that are built on cooperation, not competition.“

—  Hugo Chávez

Hugo Chávez during his closing speech at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil. January 31, 2005. http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1486
2005