在现在世界上，一切文化或文学艺术都是属于一定的阶级，属于一定的政治路线的。为艺术的艺术，超阶级的艺术，和政治并行或互相独立的艺术，实际上是不存在的。无产阶级的文学艺术是无产阶级整个革命事业的一部分，如同列宁所说，是整个革命机器中的“齿轮和螺丝钉”。
——《在延安文艺座谈会上的讲话》（一九四二年五月），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第八六七页
In the world today all culture, all literature and art belong to definite classes and are geared to definite political lines. There is in fact no such thing as art for art's sake, art that stands above classes, art that is detached from or independent of politics. Proletarian literature and art are part of the whole proletarian revolutionary cause; they are, as Lenin said, cogs and wheels in the whole revolutionary machine.
— "Talks at the Yen'an Forum on Literature and Art" (May 1942), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 86.*

革命文化，对于人民大众，是革命的有力武器。革命文化，在革命前，是革命的思想准备；在革命中，是革命总战线中的一条必要和重要的战线。
——《新民主主义论》（一九四零年一月），《毛泽东选集》第二卷第七零一页
Revolutionary culture is a powerful revolutionary weapon for the broad masses of the people. It prepares the ground ideologically before the revolution comes and is an important, indeed essential, fighting front in the general revolutionary front during the revolution.
— "On New Democracy" (January 1940), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 382.

我们的文学艺术都是为人民大众的，首先是为工农兵的，为工农兵而创作，为工农兵所利用的。
——《在延安文艺座谈会上的讲话》（一九四二年五月），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第八六五页
All our literature and art are for the masses of the people, and in the first place for the workers, peasants and soldiers; they are created for the workers, peasants and soldiers and are for their use.
— "Talks at the Yen'an Forum on Literature and Art" (May 1942), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 84.*

我们的文艺工作者一定要完成这个任务，一定要把立足点移过来，一定要在深入工农兵群众、深入实际斗争的过程中，在学习马克思主义和学习社会的过程中，逐渐地移过来，移到工农兵这方面来，移到无产阶级这方面来。只有这样，我们才能有真正为工农兵的文艺，真正无产阶级的文艺。
——《在延安文艺座谈会上的讲话》（一九四二年五月），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第八五九页
Our literary and art workers must accomplish this task and shift their stand; they must gradually move their feet over to the side of the workers, peasants and soldiers, to the side of the proletariat, through the process of going into their very midst and into the thick of practical struggles and through the process of studying Marxism and society. Only in this way can we have a literature and art that are truly for the workers, peasants and soldiers, a truly proletarian literature and art.
— Ibid., p. 78.

要使文艺很好地成为整个革命机器的一个组成部分，作为团结人民、教育人民、打击敌人、消灭敌人的有力的武器，帮助人民同心同德地和敌人作斗争。
——《在延安文艺座谈会上的讲话》（一九四二年五月），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第八五零页
[Our purpose is] to ensure that literature and art fit well into the whole revolutionary machine as a component part, that they operate as powerful weapons for uniting and educating the people and for attacking and destroying the enemy, and that they help the people fight the enemy with one heart and one mind.
— Ibid., p. 70.

文艺批评有两个标准，一个是政治标准，一个是艺术标准。……
又是政治标准，又是艺术标准，这两者的关系怎么样呢？政治并不等于艺术，一般的宇宙观也并不等于艺术创作和艺术批评的方法。我们不但否认抽象的绝对不变的政治标准，也否认抽象的绝对不变的艺术标准，各个阶级社会中的各个阶级都有不同的政治标准和不同的艺术标准。但是任何阶级社会中的任何阶级，总是以政治标准放在第一位，以艺术标准放在第二位的。……我们的要求则是政治和艺术的统一，内容和形式的统一，革命的政治内容和尽可能完美的艺术形式的统一。缺乏艺术性的艺术品，无论政治上怎样进步，也是没有力量的。因此，我们既反对政治观点错误的艺术品，也反对只有正确的政治观点而没有艺术力量的所谓“标语口号式”的倾向。我们应该进行文艺问题上的两条战线斗争。
——《在延安文艺座谈会上的讲话》（一九四二年五月），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第八六九——八七一页
In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....
There is the political criterion and there is the artistic criterion; what is the relationship between the two? Politics cannot be equated with art, nor can a general world outlook be equated with a method of artistic creation and criticism. We deny not only that there is an abstract and absolutely unchangeable political criterion, but also that there is an abstract and absolutely unchangeable artistic criterion; each class in every class society has its own political and artistic criteria. But all classes in all class societies invariably put the political criterion first and the artistic criterion second.... What we demand is the unity of politics and art, the unity of content and form, the unity of revolutionary political content and the highest possible perfection of artistic form. Works of art which lack artistic quality have no force, however progressive they are politically. Therefore, we oppose both works of art with a wrong political viewpoint and the tendency towards the "poster and slogan style" which is correct in political viewpoint but lacking in artistic power. On questions of literature and art we must carry on a struggle on two fronts.
— Ibid., pp. 88-90.*

百花齐放、百家争鸣的方针，是促进艺术发展和科学进步的方针，是促进我国的社会主义文化繁荣的方针。艺术上不同的形式和风格可以自由发展，科学上不同的学派可以自由争论。利用行政力量，强制推行一种风格，一种学派，禁止另一种风格，另一种学派，我们认为会有害于艺术和科学的发展。艺术和科学中的是非问题，应当通过艺术界科学界的自由讨论去解决，通过艺术和科学的实践去解决，而不应当采取简单的方法去解决。
——《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），人民出版社版第二五——二六页
Letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy for promoting the progress of the arts and the sciences and a flourishing socialist culture in our land. Different forms and styles in art should develop freely and different schools in science should contend freely. We think that it is harmful to the growth of art and science if administrative measures are used to impose one particular style of art or school of thought and to ban another. Questions of right and wrong in the arts and sciences should be settled through free discussion in artistic and scientific circles and through practical work in these fields. They should not be settled in summary fashion.
— "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (February 27, 1957), 1st pocket ed., pp. 49-50.

没有文化的军队是愚蠢的军队，而愚蠢的军队是不能战胜敌人的。
——《文化工作中的统一战线》（一九四四年十月三十日），《毛泽东选集》第三卷第一零零九页
An army without culture is a dull-witted army, and a dull-witted army cannot defeat the enemy.
— "The United Front in Cultural Work" (October 30, 1944), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 235.