我们的方针要放在什么基点上？放在自己力量的基点上，叫做自力更生。我们并不孤立，全世界一切反对帝国主义的国家和人民都是我们的朋友。但是我们强调自力更生，我们能够依靠自己组织的力量，打败一切中外反动派。
——《抗日战争胜利后的时局和我们的方针》（一九四五年八月十三日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一一三二页
On what basis should our policy rest? It should rest on our own strength, and that means regeneration through one's own efforts. We are not alone; all the countries and people in the world opposed to imperialism are our friends. Nevertheless, we stress regeneration through our own efforts. Relying on the forces we ourselves organize, we can defeat all Chinese and foreign reactionaries.
― "The Situation and Our Policy After the Victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan" (August 13, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 20.

我们是主张自力更生的。我们希望有外援，但是我们不能依赖它，我们依靠自己的努力，依靠全体军民的创造力。
——《必须学会做经济工作》（一九四五年一月十日），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第一零一五页
We stand for self-reliance. We hope for foreign aid but cannot be dependent on it; we depend on our own efforts, on the creative power of the whole army and the entire people.
― "We Must Learn to Do Economic Work" (January 10, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 241.

夺取全国胜利，这只是万里长征走完了第一步。……中国的革命是伟大的，但革命以后的路程更长，工作更伟大，更艰苦。这一点现在就必须向党内讲明白，务必使同志们继续地保持谦虚、谨慎、不骄、不躁的作风，务必使同志们继续地保持艰苦奋斗的作风。
——《在中国共产党第七届中央委员会第二次全体会议上的报告》（一九四九年三月五日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四三九——一四四零页
To win country-wide victory is only the first step in a long march of ten thousand li.... The Chinese revolution is great, but the road after the revolution will be longer, the work greater and more arduous. This must be made clear now in the Party. The comrades must be helped to remain modest, prudent and free from arrogance and rashness in their style of work. The comrades must be helped to preserve the style of plain living and hard struggle.
― "Report to the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (March 5, 1949), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 374.*

干部中一切不经过自己艰苦奋斗、流血流汗，而依靠意外便利、侥幸取胜的心理，必须扫除干净。
——《建立巩固的东北根据地》（一九四五年十月二十八日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一一七九页
We must thoroughly clear away all ideas among our cadres of winning easy victories through good luck, without hard and bitter struggle, without sweat and blood.
― "Build Stable Base Areas in the Northeast" (December 28, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 84.

我们应当把世界进步的情况和光明的前途，常常向人民宣传，使人民建立起胜利的信心，同时，我们还要告诉人民，告诉同志们，道路是曲折的。在革命的道路上还有许多障碍物，还有许多困难。我们党的七次代表大会设想过许多困难，我们宁肯把困难想得更多一些，有些同志不愿意多想困难。但是困难是事实，有多少就得承认多少，不能采取“不承认主义”。我们要承认困难，分析困难，向困难作斗争。世界上没有直路，要准备走曲折的路，不要贪便宜。不能设想，那一天早上，一切反动派会统统自己跪在地下。总之，前途是光明的，道路是曲折的。我们面前困难还多，不可忽视。我们和全体人民团结起来，共同努力，一定能够排除万难，达到胜利的目的。
——《关于重庆谈判》（一九四五年十月十七日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一一六二页
We should carry on constant propaganda among the people on the facts of world progress and the bright future ahead so that they will build their confidence in victory. At the same time, we must tell the people and tell our comrades that there will be twists and turns in our road, There are still many obstacles and difficulties along the road of revolution. The Seventh Congress of our Party assumed that the difficulties would be many, for we preferred to assume there would be more difficulties rather than less. Some comrades do not like to think much about difficulties. But difficulties are facts; we must recognize as many difficulties as there are and should not adopt a "policy of non-recognition". We must recognize difficulties, analyse them and combat them. There are no straight roads in the world; we must be prepared to follow a road which twists and turns and not try to get things on the cheap. It must not be imagined that one fine morning all the reactionaries will go down on their knees of their own accord. In a word, while the prospects are bright, the road has twists and turns. There are still many difficulties ahead which we must not overlook. By uniting with the entire people in a common effort, we can certainly overcome all difficulties and win victory.
― "On the Chungking Negotiations" (October 17, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, pp. 59-60.

谁要是只看见光明一面，不看见困难一面，谁就会不能很好地为实现党的任务而斗争。
——《论联合政府》（一九四五年四月二十四日），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第一零九四页
Anyone who sees only the bright side but not the difficulties cannot fight effectively for the accomplishment of the Party's tasks.
― "On Coalition Government" (April 24, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 314.

社会的财富是工人、农民和劳动知识分子自己创造的。只要这些人掌握了自己的命运，又有一条马克思列宁主义的路线，不是回避问题，而是用积极的态度去解决问题，任何人间的困难总是可以解决的。
——《书记动手，全党办社》一文的按语（一九五五年），《中国农村的社会主义高潮》上册第五——六页
The wealth of society is created by the workers, peasants and working intellectuals. If they take their destiny into their own hands, follow a Marxist-Leninist line and take an active attitude in solving problems instead of evading them, there will be no difficulty in the world which they cannot overcome.
― Introductory note to "The Party Secretary Takes the Lead and All the Party Members Help Run the Co-operatives" (1955), The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside, Chinese ed., Vol. I.

全党同志都必须充分地估计到，并准备用百折不回的毅力，有计划地克服所有的困难。反动势力面前和我们面前都有困难。但是反动势力的困难是不可能克服的，因为他们是接近于死亡的没有前途的势力。我们的困难是能够克服的，因为我们是新兴的有光明前途的势力。
——《迎接中国革命的新高潮》（一九四七年二月一日），毛泽东选集》第四卷第一二一四——一二一五页
The comrades throughout the Party must take all this fully into account and be prepared to overcome all difficulties with an indomitable will and in a planned way. The reactionary forces and we both have difficulties. But the difficulties of the reactionary forces are insurmountable because they are forces on the verge of death and have no future. Our difficulties can be overcome because we are new and rising forces and have a bright future.
― "Greet the New High Tide of the Chinese Revolution" (February 1, 1947), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 125.

我们的同志在困难的时候，要看到成绩，要看到光明，要提高我们的勇气。
——《为人民服务》（一九四四年九月八日），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第一零零四页
In times of difficulty we must not lose sight of our achievements, must see the bright future and must pluck up our courage.
― "Serve the People" (September 8, 1944), Selected Works, Vol. III, pp. 227-28.

任何新生事物的成长都是要经过艰难曲折的。在社会主义事业中，要想不经过艰难曲折，不付出极大努力，总是一帆风顺，容易得到成功，这种想法，只是幻想。
——《关于正确处理人民内部矛盾的问题》（一九五七年二月二十七日），人民出版社版第一七页
New things always have to experience difficulties and setbacks as they grow. It is sheer fantasy to imagine that the cause of socialism is all plain sailing and easy success, without difficulties and setbacks or the exertion of tremendous efforts.
― "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (February 27, 1957), 1st pocket ed., pp. 32-33.

革命斗争中的某些时候，困难条件超过顺利条件，在这种时候，困难是矛盾的主要方面，顺利是其次要方面。然而由于革命党人的努力，能够逐步地克服困难，开展顺利的新局面，困难的局面让位于顺利的局面。
——《矛盾论》（一九三七年八月）《毛泽东选集》第一卷第三一三页
At certain times in the revolutionary struggle, the difficulties outweigh the favourable conditions and so constitute the principal aspect of the contradiction and the favourable conditions constitute the secondary aspect. But through their efforts the revolutionaries can overcome the difficulties step by step and open up a favourable new situation, thus a difficult situation yields place to a favourable one.
― "On Contradiction" (August 1937), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 335.

什么叫工作，工作就是斗争。那些地方有困难、有问题，需要我们去解决。我们是为着解决困难去工作、去斗争的。越是困难的地方越是要去，这才是好同志。
——《关于重庆谈判》（一九四五年十月十七日。），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一一六零页
What is work? Work is struggle. There are difficulties and problems in those places for us to overcome and solve. We go there to work and struggle to overcome these difficulties. A good comrade is one who is more eager to go where the difficulties are greater.
― "On the Chungking Negotiations" (October 17, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 58.

中国古代有个寓言，叫做“愚公移山”。说的是古代有一位老人，住在华北，名叫北山愚公。他的家门南面有两座大山挡住他家的出路，一座叫做太行山，一座叫做王屋山。愚公下决心率领他的儿子们要用锄头挖去这两座大山。有个老头子名叫智叟的看了发笑，说是你们这样干未免太愚蠢了，你们父子数人要挖掉这样两座大山是完全不可能的。愚公回答说：我死了以后有我的儿子，儿子死了，又有孙子，子子孙孙是没有穷尽的。这两座山虽然很高，却是不会再增高了，挖一点就会少一点。为什么挖不平呢？愚公批驳了智叟的错误思想，毫不动摇，每天挖山不止。这件事感动了上帝，他就派了两个神仙下凡，把两座山背走了。现在也有两座压在中国人民头上的大山，一座叫做帝国主义，一座叫做封建主义。中国共产党早就下了决心，要挖掉这两座山。我们一定要坚持下去，一定要不断地工作，我们也会感动上帝的。这个上帝不是别人，就是全中国的人民大众。全国人民大众一齐起来和我们一道挖这两座山，有什么挖不平呢？
——《愚公移山》（一九四五年六月十一日），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第一一零二页
There is an ancient Chinese fable called "The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains". It tells of an old man who lived in northern China long, long ago and was known as the Foolish Old Man of North Mountain. His house faced south and beyond his doorway stood the two great peaks, Taihang and Wangwu, obstructing the way. With great determination, he led his sons in digging up these mountains hoe in hand. Another greybeard, known as the Wise Old Man, saw them and said derisively, "How silly of you to do this! It is quite impossible for you few to dig up these two huge mountains." The Foolish Old Man replied, "When I die, my sons will carry on; when they die, there will be my grandsons, and then their sons and grandsons, and so on to infinity. High as they are, the mountains cannot grow any higher and with every bit we dig, they will be that much lower. Why can't we clear them away?" Having refuted the Wise Old Man's wrong view, he went on digging every day, unshaken in his conviction. God was moved by this, and he sent down two angels, who carried the mountains away on their backs. Today, two big mountains lie like a dead weight on the Chinese people. One is imperialism, the other is feudalism. The Chinese Communist Party has long made up its mind to dig them up. We must persevere and work unceasingly, and we, too, will touch God's heart. Our God is none other than the masses of the Chinese people. If they stand up and dig together with us, why can't these two mountains be cleared away?
― "The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains" (June 11, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 322.*