32 Sun Yat-Sen Quotes

The Republic of China's first president, founding father, and physician was Sun Yat-Sen, a Chinese revolutionary.

As one of the greatest nationalists of the 20th century and the father of 'Modern China', Sun Yat-name sen's has been inscribed into the pages of Chinese history. His ability to command an audience was as appealing as his revolutionary ideas, and his words of wisdom inspired his peers to overcome what seemed like insurmountable obstacles.

Yat-sen was raised by peasants and was educated in the manner of traditional Chinese primary schoolchildren. He moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, to live with his older brother Sun Mei when he was thirteen, leaving China.

Learning English and taking advantage of the western curriculum at King David Kalkaua School and Oahu College helped him further his study. When Yat-sen left Hawaii in 1883 at 17, he briefly returned to China before continuing his studies in Hong Kong.

He played a major role in the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the founding of the first Republic of China. Many people refer to Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese revolutionary, and statesman born on November 12, 1866, as the 'Father of Modern China'.

Sun's political philosophy, the Three Principles of the People, was one of his greatest achievements. The Principles of Nationalism (minzu), Democracy (minquan), and Welfare were among them (minsheng).

For his crucial contribution to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty during the Xinhai Revolution, Sun Yat-sen is referred to as the 'Father of the Nation' in the Republic of China and the 'Forerunner of the Revolution' in the People's Republic of China.

Continue reading the following Sun Yat-Sun quotes that are very famous, not only in China but worldwide.

"If the idea of revolution is to win out, it must be through political enlightenment. It is useless to try to impose it by force of arms."

"The Chinese people have only family and clan solidarity; they do not have national spirit they are just a heap of loose sand."

"Other men are the carving knife and serving dish; we are the fish and the meat."

"The whole world is one family."

"We should not underestimate that: the Chinese people’s ignorance. Thousands of years of despotism had been such a poison that their understanding of modern politics is even inferior to that of the black slaves and other immigrants."

"Only powerful people have liberty."

"The key to success is action, and the essential in action is perseverance."

"I am a Christian; God sent me to fight evil for my people. Jesus was a revolutionist; so am I."

"We intend to try by every means in our power to seize the country and create a government without bloodshed."

(Sun Yat-sen was his name, but he was the revolutionary leader who earned the honorific title 'Father of the Nation.')

Even though Sun is regarded as one of the leading figures in contemporary China, his political career was marked by continual conflict and repeated exile. He swiftly handed over the presidency of the newly established Republic of China to Yuan Shikai after the revolution's triumph in 1911.

These motivational Sun Yat sen quotes will inspire you in life and give you a few insights on how to be the best version of yourself.

"An individual should not have too much freedom. A nation should have absolute freedom."

"When we undertake a task, we should not falter from first to last until the task is accomplished; if we fail, we should not begrudge our lives as a sacrifice."

"The ancient teaching of loyalty meant sometimes death."

"To understand is difficult; to act is easy."

"Revolutionaries were depressed and close to emotional breakdown; after the failure, they left successively."

"In my International Development Scheme, I propose that the profits of this industrial development should go first to pay the interest and principal of foreign capital invested in it; second to give high wages to labor; and third to improve or extend the machinery of production."

Outstanding national hero and patriot Sun Yat-sen is revered. He was the leader of the 1911 revolution, which ended China's more than 2000-year-long feudal monarchy and toppled the Qing empire. When the Republic of China was first established in 1912, he was selected to hold the position of provisional president.

Here are some of the best Sun Yat sen quotes that will strike a chord with you.

"Trust is earned by many deeds, and lost by only one."

"To understand is hard. Once one understands, action is easy."

"I am the one who will crush the Qing utterly. With the power of sun and moon I will smash through the boundaries of Helanshan pass."

"With fire and fury I shall come to the city of the Nanluo kings, and the might of the Yanhuang will rise again"

"As for my religion, I worship Jesus."

"In antiquity, agriculture and industry depended completely on human labor; but now, with the development of natural forces that human labor cannot match, agriculture and industry have fallen completely into the hands of the capitalists. The greater the amount of capital, the more abundant the resources that can be utilized."

Despite having medical training, Sun Yat-sen turned became a revolutionary. He spent a significant amount of time in exile, challenging the Qing empire overseas and co-founding the United League, which would later develop into the Chinese Nationalist Party.

These Sun yat-sen quotes on nationalism will ignite a fire of passion and patriotism within you.

"China more than two milleniums ago had already considered the idea of democracy, but at that time she could not put it into operation."

"Our position is extremely perilous; if we do not earnestly promote nationalism and weld together our four hundred millions into a strong nation, we face a tragedy - the loss of our country and the destruction of our race."

"Of the people, by the people, for the people."

"Only after mature deliberation and thorough preparation that I have decided upon the Program of Revolution and defined the procedure of the revolution in three stages. The first is the period of military government; the second, the period of political tutelage; and the third, the period of constitutional government."

"In the construction of a country, it is not the practical workers but the idealists and planners that are difficult to find."

"Remember that a civilized nation cannot just have one party; if there were only one party, this would merely be a dictatorship. Politics could not advance."

"The Revolution has not yet succeeded. Comrades, you must carry on!"

"China is now suffering from poverty, not from unequal distribution of wealth. Where there are inequalities of wealth, the methods of Marx can, of course, be used; a class war can be advocated to destroy the inequalities."

"But in China, where industry is not yet developed, Marx's class war and dictatorship of the proletariat are impracticable."

"Class war is not the cause of social progress; it is a disease developed in the course of social progress. The cause of the disease is the inability to subsist, and the result of the disease is war."

"If we ignore the issue of social justice at the beginning of China’s industrialization, we will sow the seeds of class warfare in the future."