“The lies of the empire and the treason of the quislings shall be defeated.”
- August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016
- Cuban
- Revolutionary, Prime Minister and President of Cuba, Communist Leader
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Quote
“The lies of the empire and the treason of the quislings shall be defeated.”
Explanation
This quote is Fidel Castro’s defiant condemnation of imperialism and domestic betrayal, declaring his belief in the ultimate triumph of truth and loyalty to national sovereignty. The term “empire” refers unmistakably to the United States, whose policies Castro viewed as rooted in deception, exploitation, and domination. The word “quislings”—a historical reference to Vidkun Quisling, the Norwegian who collaborated with Nazi occupiers—denotes traitors within, those who align with foreign powers against their own country’s interests.
Historically, Castro frequently accused members of the Cuban exile community, internal dissidents, and foreign-backed opposition groups of being “quislings”—tools of U.S. imperial ambitions. His statement expresses a powerful us-versus-them worldview, in which Cuba’s revolutionary project is constantly under threat from external manipulation and internal subversion, but destined to prevail through the steadfastness of the people and the clarity of revolutionary ideals.
In today’s context, the quote remains a vivid assertion of national resistance against misinformation, foreign intervention, and betrayal from within. It resonates wherever there are struggles between sovereignty and imperial influence, and it reflects a broader message: that truth, solidarity, and patriotism will outlast deceit and disloyalty. Castro’s words serve as both a warning and a vow—that revolutions are not defeated by force alone, but only if they are betrayed from within—and that such betrayal, he believed, would ultimately fail.
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