军队应实行一定限度的民主化，主要地是废除封建主义的打骂制度和官兵生活同甘苦。这样一来，官兵一致的目的就达到了，军队就增加了绝大的战斗力，长期的残酷的战争就不患不能支持。
——《论持久战》（一九三八年五月），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第五零零——五零一页
A proper measure of democracy should be put into effect in the army, chiefly by abolishing the feudal practice of bullying and beating and by having officers and men share weal and woe. Once this is done, unity will be achieved between officers and men, the combat effectiveness of the army will be greatly increased, and there will be no doubt of our ability to sustain the long, cruel war.
― "On Protracted War" (May 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 186.

红军的物质生活如此菲薄，战斗如此频繁，仍能维持不敝，除党的作用外，就是靠实行军队内的民主主义。官长不打士兵，官兵待遇平等，士兵有开会说话的自由，废除烦琐的礼节，经济公开。……中国不但人民需要民主主义，军队也需要民主主义。军队内的民主主义制度，将是破坏封建雇佣军队的一个重要的武器。
——《井冈山的斗争》（一九二八年十一月二十五日），《毛泽东选集》第一卷第六七——六八页
Apart from the role played by the Party, the reason why the Red Army has been able to carry on in spite of such poor material conditions and such frequent engagements is its practice of democracy. The officers do not beat the men; officers and men receive equal treatment; soldiers are free to hold meetings and to speak out; trivial formalities have been done away with; and the accounts are open for all to inspect.... In China the army needs democracy as much as the people do. Democracy in our army is an important weapon for undermining the feudal mercenary army.
― "The Struggle in the Chingkang Mountains" (November 25, 1928), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 83.

部队内部政治工作方针，是放手发动士兵群众、指挥员和一切工作人员，通过集中领导下的民主运动，达到政治上高度团结、生活上获得改善、军事上提高技术和战术的三大目的。目前在我军部队中热烈进行的三查、三整，就是用政治民主、经济民主的方法，达到前两项目的。
关于经济民主，必须使士兵选出的代表有权协助（不是超过）连队首长管理连队的给养和伙食。
关于军事民主，必须在练兵时实行官兵互教，兵兵互教；在作战时，实行在火线上连队开各种大、小会。在连队首长指导下，发动士兵群众讨论如何攻克敌阵，如何完成战斗任务。在连续几天的战斗中，此种会应开几次。此项军事民主，在陕北蟠龙战役和晋察冀石家庄战役中，都实行了，收到了极大效果。证明只有好处，毫无害处。
——《军队内部的民主运动》（一九四八年一月三十日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一二七五页
The policy for political work in our army units is fully to arouse the rank and file, the commanders and all working personnel in order to achieve three major objectives through a democratic movement under centralized leadership, namely, a high degree of political unity, better living conditions, and better military technique and tactics. The Three Check-ups and Three Improvements [1] now being enthusiastically carried out in our army units are intended to attain the first two of these objectives through the methods of political and economic democracy.
With regard to economic democracy, the representatives elected by the soldiers must be ensured the right to assist (but not to bypass) the company leadership in managing the company's supplies and mess.
With regard to military democracy, in periods of training there must be mutual instruction as between officers and soldiers and among the soldiers themselves; and in periods of fighting the companies at the front must hold big and small meetings of various kinds. Under the direction of the company leadership, the rank and file should be roused to discuss how to attack and capture enemy positions and how to fulfill other combat tasks. When the fighting lasts several days, several such meetings should be held. This kind of military democracy was practised with great success in the battle of Panlung in northern Shensi and in the battle of Shihchiachuang in the Shansi-Chahar-Hopei area. It has been proved that the practice can only do good and can do no harm whatsoever.
― "The Democratic Movement in the Army" (January 30, 1948), Selected Military Writings, 2nd ed., p. 353.

处在伟大斗争面前的中国共产党，要求整个党的领导机关，全党的党员和干部，高度地发挥其积极性，才能取得胜利。所谓发挥积极性，必须具体地表现在领导机关、干部和党员的创造能力，负责精神，工作的活跃，敢于和善于提出问题、发表意见、批评缺点，以及对于领导机关和领导干部从爱护观点出发的监督作用。没有这些，所谓积极性就是空的。而这些积极性的发挥，有赖于党内生活的民主化。党内缺乏民主生活，发挥积极性的目的就不能达到。大批能干人材的创造，也只有在民主生活中才有可能。
——《中国共产党在民族战争中的地位》（一九三八年十月），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第五一七页
In the present great struggle, the Chinese Communist Party demands that all its leading bodies and all its members and cadres should give the fullest expression to their initiative, which alone can ensure victory. This initiative must be demonstrated concretely in the ability of the leading bodies, the cadres and the Party rank and file to work creatively, in their readiness to assume responsibility, in the exuberant vigour they show in their work, in their courage and ability to raise questions, voice opinions and criticize defects, and in the comradely supervision that is maintained over the leading bodies and the leading cadres. Otherwise, "initiative" will be an empty thing. But the exercise of such initiative depends on the spread of democracy in Party life. It cannot be brought into play if there is not enough democracy in Party life. Only in an atmosphere of democracy can large numbers of able people be brought forward.
― "The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War" (October 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 204.

不论什么人，只要不是敌对分子，不是恶意攻击，允许大家讲话，讲错了也不要紧。各级领导人员，有责任听别人的话。实行两条原则：（一）知无不言，言无不尽；（二）言者无罪，闻者足戒。如果没有“言者无罪”一条，并且是真的，不是假的，就不可能收到“知无不言，言无不尽”的效果。
——《一九四五年的任务》（一九四四年十二月十五日），一九四四年十二月十六日延安《解放日报》
Anyone should be allowed to speak out, whoever he may be, so long as he is not a hostile element and does not make malicious attacks, and it does not matter if he says something wrong. Leaders at all levels have the duty to listen to others. Two principles must be observed: (1) Say all you know and say it without reserve; (2) Don't blame the speaker but take his words as a warning. Unless the principle of "Don't blame the speaker" is observed genuinely and not falsely, the result will not be "Say all you know and say it without reserve".
― "The Tasks for 1945" (December 15, 1944).

必须在党内施行有关民主生活的教育，使党员懂得什么是民主生活，什么是民主制和集中制的关系，并如何实行民主集中制。这样才能做到：一方面，确实扩大党内的民主生活；又一方面，不至于走到极端民主化，走到破坏纪律的自由放任主义。
——《中国共产党在民族战争中的地位》（一九三八年十月），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第五一七页
Education in democracy must be carried on within the Party so that members can understand the meaning of democratic life, the meaning of the relationship between democracy and centralism, and the way in which democratic centralism should be put into practice. Only in this way can we really extend democracy within the Party and at the same time avoid ultra-democracy and the laissez-faire which destroys discipline.
― "The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War" (October 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 205.*

无论在军队或在地方，党内民主都应是为着巩固纪律和增强战斗力，而不是削弱这种纪律和战斗力。
——《中国共产党在民族战争中的地位》（一九三八年十月），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第五一七——五一八页
Both in the army and in the local organizations, inner-Party democracy is meant to strengthen discipline and increase combat effectiveness, not to weaken them.
― Ibid. 

从理论上铲除极端民主化的根苗。首先，要指出极端民主化的危险，在于损伤以至完全破坏党的组织，削弱以至完全毁灭党的战斗力，使党担负不起斗争的责任，由此造成革命的失败。其次，要指出极端民主化的来源，在于小资产阶级的自由散漫性。这种自由散漫性带到党内，就成了政治上的和组织上的极端民主化的思想。这种思想是和无产阶级的斗争任务根本不相容的。
——《关于纠正党内的错误思想》（一九二九年十二月），《毛泽东选集》第一卷第九一页
In the sphere of theory, destroy the roots of ultra-democracy. First, it should be pointed out that the danger of ultrademocracy lies in the fact that it damages or even completely wrecks the Party organization and weakens or even completely undermines the Party's fighting capacity, rendering the Party incapable of fulfilling its fighting tasks and thereby causing the defeat of the revolution. Next, it should be pointed out that the source of ultra-democracy consists in the petty bourgeoisie's individualistic aversion to discipline. When this characteristic is brought into the Party, it develops into ultra-democratic ideas politically and organizationally. These ideas are utterly incompatible with the fighting tasks of the proletariat.
― "On Correcting Mistaken Ideas in the Party" (December 1929), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 108.

Note:
1. The "Three Check-ups" and "Three Improvements" constituted an important movement for Party consolidation and for ideological education in the army which was carried out by our Party in conjunction with the land reform during the People's War of Liberation. In the localities, the "Three Check-ups" meant checking on class origin, ideology and style of work; in the armed units, the check-ups were on class origin, performance of duty and will to fight. The "Three Improvements" meant organizational consolidation, ideological education and rectification of style of work.  – Tr.