党委制是保证集体领导、防止个人包办的党的重要制度。近查有些（当然不是一切）领导机关，个人包办和个人解决重要问题的习气甚为浓厚。重要问题的解决，不是由党委会议做决定，而是由个人做决定，党委委员等于虚设。委员间意见分歧以的事亦无由解决，并且听任这些分歧长期地不加解决。党委委员间所保持的只是形式上的一致，而不是实质上的一致。此种情形必须加以改变。今后从中央局至地委，从前委至旅委以及军区（军分会或领导小组）、政府党组、民众团体党组、通讯社和报社党组，都必须建立健全的党委会议制度，一切重要问题（当然不是无关重要的小问题或者已经会议讨论解决只待执行的问题）均须交委员会讨论，由到会委员充分发表意见，做出明确决定，然后分别执行。……委员会又须分别为常委会和全体会两种，不可混在一起。此外，还须注意，集体领导和个人负责，二者不可偏废。军队在作战时和情况需要时，首长有临机处置之权。
——《关于健全党委制》（一九四八年九月二十日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一三四三——一三四四页
The Party committee system is an important Party institution for ensuring collective leadership and preventing any individual from monopolizing the conduct of affairs. It has recently been found that in some (of course not all) leading bodies it is the habitual practice for one individual to monopolize the conduct of affairs and decide important problems. Solutions to important problems are decided not by Party committee meetings but by one individual, and membership in the Party committee has become nominal. Differences of opinion among committee members cannot be resolved and are left unresolved for a long time. Members of the Party committee maintain only formal, not real, unity among themselves. This situation must be changed. From now on, a sound system of Party committee meetings must be instituted in all leading bodies, from the regional bureaus of the Central Committee to the prefectural Party committees; from the Party committees of the fronts to the Party committees of brigades and military areas (sub-commissions of the Revolutionary Military Commission or leading groups); and the leading Party members' groups in government bodies, people's organizations the news agency and the newspaper offices. All important problems (of course, not the unimportant, trivial problems, or problems whose solutions have already been decided after discussion at meetings and need only be carried out) must be submitted to the committee for discussion, and the committee members present should express their views fully and reach definite decisions which should then be carried out by the members concerned.... Party committee meetings must be divided into two categories, standing committee meetings and plenary sessions, and the two should not be confused. Furthermore, we must take care that neither collective leadership nor personal responsibility is overemphasized to the neglect of the other. In the army, the person in command has the right to make emergency decisions during battle and when circumstances require.
― "On Strengthening the Party Committee System" (September 20, 1948), Selected Works, Vol. IV, pp. 267-68.*

党委书记要善于当“班长”。党的委员会有一二十个人，象军队的一个班，书记好比是“班长”。要把这个班带好，的确不容易。目前各中央局、分局都领导很大的地区，担负很繁重的任务。领导工作不仅要决定方针政策，还要制定正确的工作方法。有了正确的方针政策，如果在工作方法上疏忽了，还是要发生问题。党委要完成自己的领导任务，就必须依靠党委这“一班人”，充分发挥他们的作用。书记要当好“班长”，就应该很好地学习和研究。书记、副书记如果不注意向自己的“一班人”作宣传工作和组织工作，不善于研究怎样把会议开好，就很难把这“一班人”指挥好。如果这“一班人”动作不整齐，就休想带领千百万人去作战，去建设。当然，书记和委员之间的关系是少数服从多数，这同班长和战士之间的关系是不一样的。这里不过是一个比方。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四一页
The secretary of a Party committee must be good at being a "squad leader". A Party committee has ten to twenty members; it is like a squad in the army, and the secretary is like the "squad leader". It is indeed not easy to lead this squad well. Each regional bureau or sub-regional bureau of the Central Committee now leads a vast area and shoulders very heavy responsibilities. To lead means not only to decide general and specific policies but also to devise correct methods of work. Even with correct general and specific policies, troubles may still arise if methods of work are neglected. To fulfill its task of exercising leadership, a Party committee must rely on its "squad members" and enable them to play their parts to the full. To be a good "squad leader", the secretary should study hard and investigate thoroughly. A secretary or deputy secretary will find it difficult to direct his "squad" well if he does not take care to do propaganda and organizational work among his own "squad members'', is not good at handling his relations with committee members or does not study how to run meetings successfully. If the "squad members" do not march in step, they can never expect to lead tens of millions of people in fighting and construction. Of course, the relation between the secretary and the committee members is one in which the minority must obey the majority, so it is different from the relation between a squad leader and his men. Here we speak only by way of analogy.
― "Methods of Work of Party Committees" (March 13, 1949), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 377.*

要把问题摆到桌面上来。不仅“班长”要这样做，委员也要这样做。不要在背后议论。有了问题就开会，摆到桌面上来讨论，规定它几条，问题就解决了。有问题而不摆到桌面上来，就会长期不得解决，甚至一拖几年。“班长”和委员还要能互相谅解。书记和委员，中央和各中央局，各中央局和区党委之间的谅解、支援和友谊，比什么都重要。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四一——一四四二页
Place problems on the table. This should be done not only by the "squad leader" but by the committee members too. Do not talk behind people's backs. Whenever problems arise, call a meeting, place the problems on the table for discussion, take some decisions and the problems will be solved. If problems exist and are not placed on the table, they will remain unsolved for a long time and even drag on for years. The "squad leader" and the committee members should show understanding in their relations with each other. Nothing is more important than mutual understanding, support and friendship between the secretary and the committee members, between the Central Committee and its regional bureaus and between the regional bureaus and the area Party committees.
― Ibid., pp. 377-78.

“互通情报”。就是说，党委各委员之间要把彼此知道的情况互相通知、互相交流。这对于取得共同的语言是很重要的。有些人不是这样做，而是象老子说的“鸡犬之声相闻，老死不相往来”，结果彼此之间就缺乏共同的语言。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第四四二页
"Exchange information." This means that members of a Party committee should keep each other informed and exchange views on matters that have come to their attention. This is of great importance in achieving a common language. Some fail to do so and, like the people described by Lao Tzu, "do not visit each other all their lives, though the crowing of their cocks and the barking of their dogs are within hearing of each other". The result is that they lack a common language.
― Ibid., p. 378.

不懂得和不了解的东西要问下级，不要轻易表示赞成或反对。……我们切不可强不知以为知，要“不耻下问”，要善于倾听下面干部的意见。先做学生，然后再做先生；先向下面干部请教，然后再下命令。……下面干部的话，有正确的，也有不正确的，听了以后要加以分析。对正确的意见，必须听，并且照它做。……对下面来的错误意见也要听，根本不听是不对的；不过听了而不照它做，并且要给以批评。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第一四四二——一四四三页
Ask your subordinates about matters you don't understand or don't know, and do not lightly express your approval or disapproval.... We should never pretend to know what we don't know, we should "not feel ashamed to ask and learn from people below" and we should listen carefully to the views of the cadres at the lower levels. Be a pupil before you become a teacher; learn from the cadres at the lower levels before you issue orders.... What the cadres at the lower levels say may or may not be correct, after hearing it, we must analyse it. We must heed the correct views and act upon them.... Listen also to the mistaken views from below, it is wrong not to listen to them at all. Such views, however, are not to be acted upon but to be criticized.
― Ibid., pp. 378-79*

学会“弹钢琴”。弹钢琴要十个指头都动作，不能有的动，有的不动。但是，十个指头同时都按下去，那也不成调子。要产生好的音乐，十个指头的动作要有节奏，要互相配合。党委要抓紧中心工作，又要围绕中心工作而同时开展其他方面的工作。我们现在管的方面很多，各地、各军、各部门的工作，都要照顾到，不能只注意一部分问题而把别的丢掉。凡是有问题的地方都要点一下，这个方法我们一定要学会。钢琴有人弹得好，有人弹得不好，这两种人弹出来的调子差别很大。党委的同志必须学好“弹钢琴”。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四三页
Learn to "play the piano". In playing the piano all ten fingers are in motion; it won't do to move some fingers only and not others. But if all ten fingers press down at once, there is no melody. To produce good music, the ten fingers should move rhythmically and in co-ordination. A Party committee should keep a firm grasp on its central task and at the same time, around the central task, it should unfold the work in other fields. At present, we have to take care of many fields; we must look after the work in all the areas, armed units and departments, and not give all our attention to a few problems, to the exclusion of others. Wherever there is a problem, we must put our finger on it, and this is a method we must master. Some play the piano well and some badly, and there is a great difference in the melodies they produce. Members of Party committees must learn to "play the piano" well.
― Ibid., p. 379.

要“抓紧”。就是说，党委对主要工作不但一定要“抓”，而且一定要“抓紧”。什么东西只有抓得很紧，毫不放松，才能抓住。抓而不紧，等于不抓。伸着巴掌，当然什么也抓不住。就是把手握起来，但是不握紧，样子象抓，还是抓不住东西。我们有些同志，也抓主要工作，但是抓而不紧，所以工作还是不能做好。不抓不行，抓而不紧也不行。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四三页
"Grasp firmly." That is to say, the Party committee must not merely "grasp", but must "grasp firmly", its main tasks. One can get a grip on something only when it is grasped firmly, without the slightest slackening. Not to grasp firmly is not to grasp at all. Naturally, one cannot get a grip on something with an open hand. When the hand is clenched as if grasping something but is not clenched tightly, there is still no grip. Some of our comrades do grasp the main tasks, but their grasp is not firm and so they cannot make a success of their work. It will not do to have no grasp at all, nor will it do if the grasp is not firm.
― Ibid.

胸中有“数”。这是说，对情况和问题一定要注意到它们的数量方面，要有基本的数量的分析。任何质量都表现为一定的数量，没有数量也就没有质量。我们有许多同志至今不懂得注意事物的数量方面，不懂得注意基本的统计、主要的百分比，不懂得注意决定事物质量的数量界限，一切都是胸中无“数”，结果就不能不犯错误。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四三页
"Have a head for figures." That is to say, we must attend to the quantitative aspect of a situation or problem and make a basic quantitative analysis. Every quality manifests itself in a certain quantity, and without quantity there can be no quality. To this day many of our comrades still do not understand that they must attend to the quantitative aspect of things - the basic statistics, the main percentages and the quantitative limits that determine the qualities of things. They have no "figures" in their heads and as a result cannot help making mistakes.
― Ibid., pp. 379-80.

“安民告示”。开会要事先通知，象出安民告示一样，让大家知道讨论什么问题，解决什么问题，并且早作准备。有些地方开干部会，事前不准备好报告和决议草案，等开会的人到了才临时凑合，好象“兵马已到，粮草未备”，这是不好的。如果没有准备，就不要急于开会。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四四页
"Notice to Reassure the Public." Notice of meetings should be given beforehand; this is like issuing a "Notice to Reassure the Public", so that everybody will know what is going to be discussed and what problems are to be solved and can make timely preparations. In some places, meetings of cadres are called without first preparing reports and draft resolutions, and only when people have arrived for the meeting are makeshifts improvised; this is just like the saying, "Troops and horses have arrived, but food and fodder are not ready", and that is no good. Don't call a meeting in a hurry if the preparations are not completed.
― Ibid., p. 380.

“精兵简政”。讲话、演说、写文章和写决议案，都应当简明扼要。会议也不要开得太长。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四四页
"Fewer and better troops and simpler administration." Talks, speeches, articles and resolutions should all be concise and to the point. Meetings also should not go on too long.
― Ibid.

注意团结那些和自己意见不同的同志一道工作。不论在地方上或部队里，都应该注意这一条。对党外人士也是一样。我们都是从五湖四海汇集拢来的，我们不仅要善于团结和自己意见相同的同志，而且要善于团结和自己意见不同的同志一道工作。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四四页
Pay attention to uniting and working with comrades who differ with you. This should be borne in mind both in the localities and in the army. It also applies to relations with people outside the Party. We have come together from every corner of the country and should be good at uniting in our work not only with comrades who hold the same views as we but also with those who hold different views.
― Ibid. 

力戒骄傲。这对领导者是一个原则问题，也是保持团结的一个重要条件。就是没有犯过大错误，而且工作有了很大成绩的人，也不要骄傲。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四四四页
Guard against arrogance. For anyone in a leading position, this is a matter of principle and an important condition for maintaining unity. Even those who have made no serious mistakes and have achieved very great success in their work should not be arrogant.
― Ibid.

划清两种界限。首先，是革命还是反革命？是延安还是西安？有些人不懂得要划清这种界限。例如，他们反对官僚主义，就把延安说得好似“一无是处”，而没有把延安的官僚主义同西安的官僚主义比较一下，区别一下。这就从根本上犯了错误。其次，在革命的队伍中，要划清正确和错误、成绩和缺点的界限，还要弄清它们中间什么是主要的，什么是次要的。例如，成绩究竟是三分还是七分？说少了不行，说多了也不行。一个人的工作，究竟是三分成绩七分错误，还是七分成绩三分错误，必须有个根本的估计。如果是七分成绩，那末就应该对他的工作基本上加以肯定。把成绩为主说成错误为主，那就完全错了。我们看问题一定不要忘记划清这两种界限：革命和反革命的界限，成绩和缺点的界限。记着这两条界限，事情就好办，否则就会把问题的性质弄混淆了。自然，要把界限划好，必须经过细致的研究和分析。我们对于每一个人和每一件事，都应该采取分析研究的态度。
——《党委会的工作方法》（一九四九年三月十三日），《毛泽东选集）第四卷第一四四四——一四四五页
Draw two lines of distinction. First, between revolution and counter-revolution, between Yen'an and Si'an. [1] Some do not understand that they must draw this line of distinction. For example, when they combat bureaucracy, they speak of Yen'an as though "nothing is right" there and fail to make a comparison and distinguish between the bureaucracy in Yen'an and the bureaucracy in Si'an. This is fundamentally wrong. Secondly, within the revolutionary ranks, it is necessary to make a clear distinction between right and wrong, between achievements and shortcomings and to make clear which of the two is primary and which secondary. For instance, do the achievements amount to 30 per cent or to 70 per cent of the whole? It will not do either to understate or to overstate. We must have a fundamental evaluation of a person's work and establish whether his achievements amount to 30 per cent and his mistakes to 70 per cent, or vice versa. If his achievements amount to 70 per cent of the whole, then his work should in the main be approved. It would be entirely wrong to describe work in which the achievements are primary as work in which the mistakes are primary. In our approach to problems we must not forget to draw these two lines of distinction, between revolution and counter-revolution and between achievements and shortcomings. We shall be able to handle things well if we bear these two distinctions in mind; otherwise we shall confuse the nature of the problems. To draw these distinctions well, careful study and analysis are of course necessary. Our attitude towards every person and every matter should be one of analysis and study.
― Ibid., p. 381.

在组织上，厉行集中指导下的民主生活。其路线是：
1 党的领导机关要有正确的指导路线，遇事要拿出办法，以建立领导的中枢。
2 上级机关要明了下级机关的情况和群众生活的情况，成为正确指导的客观基础。
3 党的各级机关解决问题，不要太随便。一成决议，就须坚决执行。
4 上级机关的决议，凡属重要一点的，必须迅速地传达到下级机关和党员群众中去。……
5 党的下级机关和党员群众对于上级机关的指示，要经过详尽的讨论，以求彻底地了解指示的意义，并决定对它的执行方法。
——《关于纠正党内的错误思想》（一九二九年十二月），《毛泽东选集》第一卷第九一页
In the sphere of organization, ensure democracy under centralized guidance. It should be done on the following lines:
(1) The leading bodies of the Party must give a correct line of guidance and find solutions when problems arise, in order to establish themselves as centres of leadership.
(2) The higher bodies must be familiar with the situation in the lower bodies and with the life of the masses so as to have an objective basis for correct guidance.
(3) No Party organization at any level should make casual decisions in solving problems. Once a decision is reached, it must be firmly carried out.
(4) All decisions of any importance made by the Party's higher bodies must be promptly transmitted to the lower bodies and the Party rank and file....
(5) The lower bodies of the Party and the Party rank and file must discuss the higher bodies' directives in detail in order to understand their meaning thoroughly and decide on the methods of carrying them out.
― "On Correcting Mistaken Ideas in the Party" (December 1929), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 109.*