"What does October 10th mean for our people? It simply means the beginning of one hundred years of struggle, the beginning of the revolution in Cuba, because in Cuba there has only been one revolution: the one begun by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes on October 10th 1868. And it is the one our people are carrying on at this time."
“Honor is not negotiable; the homeland is not negotiable; dignity is not negotiable; independence, sovereignty, history and glory are not negotiable!”In the closing ceremony of the first International Congress on Culture and Development
“[…] because when a people are constructing their future, when a people have come out of the past and broken their chains, a breech has been opened in the middle of a wall of interests, and that people will never resign themselves to give up the path they have taken, that people can never be defeated by anything or anyone! […]”
“But it is a historical truth, an inexorable law of history, that all peoples exploited by imperialism will free themselves from imperialism, and that the peoples of Latin America will also free themselves, just as those in Asia who are yet to free themselves will also be free and those remaining in Africa to be freed as well.”
“We are a patriotic and honorable people that will never accept impositions or threats from anyone but we are also sincere friends of the United States, particularly of all the good Americans --who are many-- and we keep discovering many more.”
“The importance of the Bay of Pigs does not lie in the size of the battle, or the number of combatants, or the heroic events which took place there; the enormous historical importance of the Bay of Pigs is not what happened but what didn’t happen thanks to the Bay of Pigs!”
"Our forefathers didnot know independence, they didnot know freedom. And although we have obligations, must make sacrifices, must fight and work very hard, at least, we have known independence, dignity and freedom.."
“For this great humanity has said “Enough” and has begun to march. And their giant march will not be halted until they conquer true independence, for which they have died in vain more than once. Today, however, those who die will die like the Cubans at Playa Giron. They will die for their own true and never-to-be surrendered independence!”
"It is not an easy thing to do in the midst of today’s problems complexities in the world today. It is difficult to maintain that inflexible opinion, maintain this inflexible independence, but we will maintain it. This Revolution was not imported from anywhere. It is a genuine product of this country. Nobody told us how we must do it, and we have carried it out. (APPLAUSE) And nobody will have to tell us how we must continue to carry it out, and we will continue to carry it out. We have learned to write history and we will continue to write it. Let no one doubt it".
“Vietnam is a most cherished name too close to the hearts of all Cubans.