战争——从有私有财产和有阶级以来就开始了的、用以解决阶级和阶级、民族和民族、国家和国家、政治集团和政治集团之间、在一定发展阶段上的矛盾的一种最高的斗争形式。
——《中国革命战争的战略问题》（一九三六年十二月），《毛泽东选集》第一卷第一六四页
War is the highest form of struggle for resolving contradictions, when they have developed to a certain stage, between classes, nations, states, or political groups, and it has existed ever since the emergence of private property and of classes.
―"Problems of Strategy in China's Revolutionary War" (December 1936), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 180.

“战争是政治的继续”，在这点上说，战争就是政治、战争本身就是政治性质的行动，从古以来没有不带政治性的战争。……
但是战争有其特殊性，在这点上说，战争不即等于一般的政治。“战争是政治的特殊手段的继续”。政治发展到一定的阶段，再也不能照旧前进，于是爆发了战争，用以扫除政治道路上的障碍。……障碍既除，政治的目的达到，战争结束。障碍没有扫除得干净，战争仍须继续进行，以求贯彻。……因此可以说，政治是不流血的战争，战争是流血的政治。
——《论持久战》（一九三八年五月），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第四六八——四六九页
"War is the continuation of politics." In this sense war is politics and war itself is a political action; since ancient times there has never been a war that did not have a political character....
But war has its own particular characteristics and in this sense it cannot be equated with politics in general. "War is the continuation of politics by other... means." When politics develops to a certain stage beyond which it cannot proceed by the usual means, war breaks out to sweep the obstacles from the way.... When the obstacle is removed and our political aim attained the war will stop. But if the obstacle is not completely swept away, the war will have to continue till the aim is fully accomplished.... It can therefore be said that politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.
― "On Protracted War" (May 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, pp. 152-53 *

历史上的战争分为两类，一类是正义的，一类是非正义的。一切进步的战争都是正义的，一切阻碍进步的战争都是非正义的。我们共产党人反对一切阻碍进步的非正义的战争，但是不反对进步的正义的战争。对于后一类战争，我们共产党人不但不反对，而且积极地参加。前一类战争，例如第一次世界大战，双方都是为着帝国主义利益而战，所以全世界的共产党人坚决地反对那一次战争。反对的方法，在战争未爆发前，极力阻止其爆发；既爆发后，只要有可能，就用战争反对战争，用正义战争反对非正义战争。
——《论持久战》（一九三八年五月），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第四六五——四六六页
History shows that wars are divided into two kinds, just and unjust. All wars that are progressive are just, and all wars that impede progress are unjust. We Communists oppose all unjust wars that impede progress, but we do not oppose progressive, just wars. Not only do we Communists not oppose just wars, we actively participate in them. As for unjust wars, World War I is an instance in which both sides fought for imperialist interests; therefore the Communists of the whole world firmly opposed that war. The way to oppose a war of this kind is to do everything possible to prevent it before it breaks out and, once it breaks out, to oppose war with war, to oppose unjust war with just war, whenever possible.
― Ibid., p. 150.

在阶级社会中，革命和革命战争是不可避免的，舍此不能完成社会发展的飞跃，不能推翻反动的统治阶级，而使人民获得政权。
——《矛盾论》（一九三七年八月），《毛泽东选集》第一卷第三二二页
Revolutions and revolutionary wars are inevitable in class society, and without them it is impossible to accomplish any leap in social development and to overthrow the reactionary ruling classes and therefore impossible for the people to win political power.
― "On Contradiction" (August1937), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 344.*

革命战争是一种抗毒素，它不但将排除敌人的毒焰，也将清洗自己的污浊。凡属正义的革命的战争，其力量是很大的，它能改造很多事物，或为改造事物开辟道路。中日战争将改造中日两国；只要中国坚持抗战和坚持统一战线，就一定能把旧日本化为新日本，把旧中国化为新中国，中日两国的人和物都将在这次战争中和战争后获得改造。
——《论持久战》（一九三八年五月），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第四四七页
Revolutionary war is an antitoxin which not only eliminates the enemy's poison but also purges us of our own filth. Every just, revolutionary war is endowed with tremendous power and can transform many things or clear the way for their transformation. The Sino-Japanese war will transform both China and Japan; provided China perseveres in the War of Resistance and in the united front, the old Japan will surely be transformed into a new Japan and the old China into a new China, and people and everything else in both China and Japan will be transformed during and after the war.
― "On Protracted War" (May 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 131.*

每个共产党员都应懂得这个真理：“枪杆子里面出政权”。
——《战争和战略问题》（一九三八年十一月六日），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第五三五页
Every Communist must grasp the truth, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
― "Problems of War and Strategy" (November 6, 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 224.

革命的中心任务和最高形式是武装夺取政权，战争解决问题。这个马克思列宁主义的革命原则是普遍地对的，不论在中国在外国，一概都是对的。
——《战争和战略问题》（一九三八年十一月六日），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第五二九页
The seizure of power by armed force, the settlement of the issue by war, is the central task and the highest form of revolution. This Marxist-Leninist principle of revolution holds good universally, for China and for all other countries.
― Ibid., p. 219.

在中国，离开了武装斗争，就没有无产阶级的地位，就没有人民的地位，就没有共产党的地位，就没有革命的胜利。十八年来，我们党的发展、巩固和布尔塞维克化，是在革命战争中进行的，没有武装斗争，就不会有今天的共产党。这个拿血换来的经验，全党同志都不要忘记。
——《“共产党人”发刊词》（一九三九年十月四日），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第六零零——六零一页
Without armed struggle neither the proletariat, nor the people, nor the Communist Party would have any standing at all in China and it would be impossible for the revolution to triumph. In these years [the eighteen years since the founding of the Party] the development, consolidation and bolshevization of our Party have proceeded in the midst of revolutionary wars; without armed struggle the Communist Party would assuredly not be what it is today. Comrades throughout the Party must never forget this experience for which we have paid in blood.
― "Introducing The Communist" (October 4, 1939), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 292.*

从马克思主义关于国家学说的观点看来，军队是国家政权的主要成分。谁想夺取国家政权，并想保持它，谁就应有强大的军队。有人笑我们是“战争万能论”，对，我们是革命战争万能论者，这不是坏的，是好的，是马克思主义的。俄国共产党的枪杆子造了一个社会主义。我们要造一个民主共和国。帝国主义时代的阶级斗争的经验告诉我们：工人阶级和劳动群众，只有用枪杆子的力量才能战胜武装的资产阶级和地主；在这个意义上，我们可以说，整个世界只有用枪杆子才可能改造。
——《战争和战略问题》（一九三八年十一月六日），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第五三五页
According to the Marxist theory of the state, the army is the chief component of state power. Whoever wants to seize and retain state power must have a strong army. Some people ridicule us as advocates of the "omnipotence of war". Yes, we are advocates of the omnipotence of revolutionary war; that is good, not bad, it is Marxist. The guns of the Russian Communist Party created socialism. We shall create a democratic republic. Experience in the class struggle in the era of imperialism teaches us that it is only by the power of the gun that the working class and the labouring masses can defeat the armed bourgeoisie and landlords; in this sense we may say that only with guns can the whole world be transformed.
― "Problems of War and Strategy" (November 6, 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 225.

我们是战争消灭论者，我们是不要战争的；但是只能经过战争去消灭战争，不要枪杆子必须拿起枪杆子。
——《战争和战略问题》（一九三八年十一月六日），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第五三五页
We are advocates of the abolition of war, we do not want war; but war can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.
― Ibid. 

战争——这个人类互相残杀的怪物，人类社会的发展终久要把它消灭的，而且就在不远的将来会要把它消灭的。但是消灭它的方法只有一个，就是用战争反对战争，用革命战争反对反革命战争，用民族革命战争反对民族反革命战争，用阶级革命战争反对阶级反革命战争。……人类社会进步到消灭了阶级，消灭了国家，到了那时，什么战争也没有了，反革命战争没有了，革命战争也没有了，非正义战争没有了，正义战争也没有了，这就是人类的永久和平的时代。我们研究革命战争的规律，出发于我们要求消灭一切战争的志愿，这是区别我们共产党人和一切剥削阶级的界线。
——《中国革命战争的战略问题》（一九三六年十二月），《毛泽东选集》第一卷第一六七——一六八页
War, this monster of mutual slaughter among men, will be finally eliminated by the progress of human society, and in the not too distant future too. But there is only one way to eliminate it and that is to oppose war with war, to oppose counterrevolutionary war with revolutionary war, to oppose national counter-revolutionary war with national revolutionary war, and to oppose counter-revolutionary class war with revolutionary class war.... When human society advances to the point where classes and states are eliminated, there will be no more wars, counter-revolutionary or revolutionary, unjust or just; that will be the era of perpetual peace for mankind. Our study of the laws of revolutionary war springs from the desire to eliminate all wars; herein lies the distinction between us Communists and all the exploiting classes.
― "Problems of Strategy in China's Revolutionary War" (December 1936), Selected Works, Vol. I, pp. 182-83.

我国和各社会主义国家都需要和平，世界各国的人民也都需要和平。渴望战争，不要和平的，仅仅是少数帝国主义国家中的某些依靠侵略发财的垄断资本集团。
——《中国共产党第八次全国代表大会开幕词》（一九五六年九月十五日），《中国共产党第八次全国代表大会文献》第八页
Our country and all the other socialist countries want peace; so do the peoples of all the countries of the world. The only ones who crave war and do not want peace are certain monopoly capitalist groups in a handful of imperialist countries which depend on aggression for their profits.
― "Opening Address at the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China" (September 15, 1956).

为了争取世界的持久和平，我们必须进一步地发展同社会主义阵营中各个兄弟国家的友好合作，并且同一切爱好和平的国家加强团结。我们必须争取同一切愿意和我们和平相处的国家，在互相尊重领土主权和平等互利的基础上，建立正常的外交关系。亚洲、非洲和拉丁美洲各国的民族独立解放运动，以及世界上一切国家的和平运动和正义斗争，我们都必须给以积极的支持。
——《中国共产党第八次全国代表大会开幕词》（一九五六年九月十五日），《中国共产党第八次全国代表大会文献》第八页
To achieve a lasting world peace, we must further develop our friendship and co-operation with the fraternal countries in the socialist camp and strengthen our solidarity with all peace-loving countries. We must endeavour to establish normal diplomatic relations, on the basis of mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and of equality and mutual benefit, with all countries willing to live together with us in peace. We must give active support to the national independence and liberation movement in countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as to the peace movement and to just struggles in all the countries of the world.
― Ibid. 

至于帝国主义国家，我们也要团结那里的人民，并且争取同那些国家和平共处，做些生意，制止可能发生的战争，但是决不可以对他们怀抱一些不切实际的想法。
——《关于正确处理人民内部矛盾的问题》（一娥五七年二月二十七日），人民出版社版第三八页
As for the imperialist countries, we should unite with their peoples and strive to coexist peacefully with those countries, do business with them and prevent any possible war, but under no circumstances should we harbour any unrealistic notions about them.
― "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (February 27, 1957), 1st pocket ed., p. 75.

我们希望和平。但是如果帝国主义硬要打仗，我们也只好横下一条心，打了仗再建设。每天怕战争，战争来了你有什么办法呢？我先是说东风压倒西风，战争打不起来，现在再就如果发生了战争的情况，作了这些补充的说明，这样两种可能性都估计到了。
——《在各国共产党和工人党莫斯科会议上的讲话》（一九五七年十一月十八日），一九六三年九月一日《人民日报》《中国政府发言人声明》中的引语
We desire peace. However, if imperialism insists on fighting a war, we will have no alternative but to take the firm resolution to fight to the finish before going ahead with our construction. If you are afraid of war day in day out, what will you do if war eventually comes? First I said that the East Wind is prevailing over the West Wind and war will not break out, and now I have added these explanations about the situation in case war should break out. Both possibilities have thus been taken into account.
― "Speech at the Moscow Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties" (November 18, 1957), quoted in "Statement by the Spokesman of the Chinese Government" (September 1, 1963).*

现在世界各国的人们都在谈论着会不会打第三次世界大战。对于这个问题，我们也要有精神准备，也要有分析。我们是坚持和平反对战争的。但是，如果帝国主义一定要发动战争，我们也不要害怕。我们对待这个问题的态度，同对待一切“乱子”的态度一样，第一条，反对；第二条，不怕。第一次世界大战以后，出了一个苏联，两亿人口。第二次世界大战以后，出了一个社会主义阵营，一共九亿人口。如果帝国主义者一定要发动第三次世界大战，可以断定，其结果必定又要有多少亿人口转到社会主义方面，帝国主义剩下的地盘就不多了，也有可能整个帝国主义制度全部崩溃。
——《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），人民出版社版第三五页
People all over the world are now discussing whether or not a third world war will break out. On this question, too, we must be mentally prepared and do some analysis. We stand firmly for peace and against war. But if the imperialists insist on unleashing another war, we should not be afraid of it. Our attitude on this question is the same as our attitude towards any disturbance: first, we are against it; second, we are not afraid of it. The First World War was followed by the birth of the Soviet Union with a population of 200 million. The Second World War was followed by the emergence of the socialist camp with a combined population of 900 million. If the imperialists insist on launching a third world war, it is certain that several hundred million more will turn to socialism, and then there will not be much room left on earth for the imperialists; it is also likely that the whole structure of imperialism will utterly collapse.
― "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (February 27, 1957), 1st pocket ed., pp. 67-68.

捣乱，失败，再捣乱，再失败，直至灭亡——这就是帝国主义和世界上一切反动派对待人民事业的逻辑，他们决不会违背这个逻辑的。这是一条马克思主义的定律。我们说“帝国主义是很凶恶的”，就是说它的本性是不能改变的，帝国主义分子决不肯放下屠刀，他们也决不能成佛，直至他们的灭亡。
斗争，失败，再斗争，再失败，再斗争，直至胜利——这就是人民的逻辑，他们也是决不会违背这个逻辑的。这是马克思主义的又一条定律。俄国人民的革命曾经是依照了这条定律，中国人民的革命也是依照这条定律。
——《丢掉幻想，准备斗争》（一九四九年八月十四日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四九零——一四九一页
Make trouble, fail, make trouble again, fail again... till their doom- that is the logic of the imperialists and all reactionaries the world over in dealing with the people's cause, and they will never go against this logic. This is a Marxist law. When we say "imperialism is ferocious", we mean that its nature will never change, that the imperialists will never lay down their butcher knives, that they will never become Buddhas, till their doom.
Fight, fail, fight again, fail again, fight again... till their victory; that is the logic of the people, and they too will never go against this logic. This is another Marxist law. The Russian people's revolution followed this law, and so has the Chinese people's revolution.
― "Cast Away Illusions, Prepare for Struggle" (August 14, 1949), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 428.

我们决不可因为胜利，而放松对于帝国主义分子及其走狗们的疯狂的报复阴谋的警惕性，谁要是放松这一项警惕性，谁就将在政治上解除武装，而使自己处于被动的地位。
——《在新政治协商会议筹备会上的讲话》（一九四九年六月十五日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四六九页
Just because we have won victory, we must never relax our vigilance against the frenzied plots for revenge by the imperialists and their running dogs. Whoever relaxes vigilance will disarm himself politically and land himself in a passive position.
― "Address to the Preparatory Committee of the New Political Consultative Conference" (June 15, 1949), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 407.

帝国主义者及其走狗中国反动派对于他们在中国这块土地上的失败，是不会甘心的。他们还会要互相勾结在一起，用各种可能的方法，反对中国人民。例如，派谴他们的走狗钻进中国内部来进行分化工作和捣乱工作。这是必然的，他们决不会忘记这一项工作。例如，唆使中国反动派甚至加上他们自己的力量，封锁中国的海港。只要还有可能，他们就会这样做，再则，假如他们还想冒险的话，派出一部分兵力侵扰中国的边境，也不是不可能的。所有这些，我们都必须充分地估计到。
——《在新政治协商会议筹备会上的讲话》（一九四九年六月十五日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一四六九页
The imperialists and their running dogs, the Chinese reactionaries, will not resign themselves to defeat in this land of China. They will continue to gang up against the Chinese people in every possible way. For example, they will smuggle their agents into China to sow dissension and make trouble. That is certain; they will never neglect these activities. To take another example, the imperialists will incite the Chinese reactionaries, and even throw in their own forces, to blockade China's ports. They will do this as long as it is possible. Furthermore, if they still hanker after adventures, they will send some of their troops to invade and harass China's frontiers; this, too, is not impossible. All this we must take fully into account.
― Ibid.* 

世界是在进步的，前途是光明的，这个历史的总趋势任何人也改变不了。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。
——《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
The world is progressing, the future is bright and no one can change this general trend of history. 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.
― "On the Chungking Negotiations" (October 17, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV. p. 59.

人民解放军的全体指挥员、战斗员，绝对不可以稍微松懈自己的战斗意志，任何松懈战斗意志的思想和轻敌的思想，都是错误的。
——《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》第四卷第一四二五页
The commanders and fighters of the entire Chinese People's Liberation Army absolutely must not relax in the least their will to fight; any thinking that relaxes the will to fight and belittles the enemy is wrong.
― "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. 361.