一切反动派都是纸老虎。看起来，反动派的样子是可怕的，但是实际上并没有什么了不起的力量。从长远的观点看问题，真正强大的力量不是属于反动派，而是属于人民。
——《和美国记者安那·路易斯·斯特朗的谈话》（一九四六年八月），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一一九三页
All reactionaries are paper tigers. In appearance, the reactionaries are terrifying, but in reality they are not so powerful. From a long-term point of view, it is not the reactionaries but the people who are really powerful.
― "Talk with the American Correspondent Anna Louise Strong" (August 1946), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 100.

同世界上一切事物无不具有两重性（即对立统一规律）一样，帝国主义和一切反动派也有两重性，它们是真老虎又是纸老虎。历史上奴隶主阶级、封建地主阶级和资产阶级，在它们取得统治权力以前和取得统治权力以后的一段时间内，它们是生气勃勃的，是革命者，是先进者，是真老虎。在随后的一段时间，由于它们的对立面，奴隶阶级、农民阶级和无产阶级，逐步壮大，并同它们进行斗争，越来越厉害，它们就逐步向反面转化，化为反动派，化为落后的人们，化为纸老虎，终究被或者将被人民所推翻。反动的、落后的、腐朽的阶级，在面临人民的决死斗争的时候，也还有这样的两重性。一面，真老虎，吃人，成百万人成千万人地吃。人民斗争事业处在艰难困苦的时代，出现许多弯弯曲曲的道路。中国人民为了消灭帝国主义、封建主义和官僚资本主义在中国的统治，花了一百多年时间，死了大概几千万人之多，才取得一九四九年的胜利。你看，这不是活老虎，铁老虎，真老虎吗？但是，它们终究转化成了纸老虎，死老虎，豆腐老虎。这是历史的事实。人们难道没有看见听见过这些吗？真是成千成万！成千成万！所以，从本质上看，从长期上看，从战略上看，必须如实地把帝国主义和一切反动派，都看成纸老虎。从这点上，建立我们的战略思想。另一方面，它们又是活的铁的真的老虎，它们会吃人的。从这点上，建立我们的策略思想和战术思想。
——《在中共中央政治局武昌会议上的讲话》（一九五八年十二月一日），《毛泽东选集》第四卷第一一九零页《和美国记者安那·路易斯·斯特朗的谈话》一文的题解
Just as there is not a single thing in the world without a dual nature (this is the law of the unity of opposites), so imperialism and all reactionaries have a dual nature - they are real tigers and paper tigers at the same time. In past history, before they won state power and for some time afterwards, the slave-owning class, the feudal landlord class and the bourgeoisie were vigorous, revolutionary and progressive; they were real tigers. But with the lapse of time, because their opposites - the slave class, the peasant class and the proletariat - grew in strength step by step, struggled against them more and more fiercely, these ruling classes changed step by step into the reverse, changed into reactionaries, changed into backward people, changed into paper tigers. And eventually they were overthrown, or will be overthrown, by the people. The reactionary, backward, decaying classes retained this dual nature even in their last life-and-death struggles against the people. On the one hand, they were real tigers; they devoured people, devoured people by the millions and tens of millions. The cause of the people's struggle went through a period of difficulties and hardships, and along the path there were many twists and turns. To destroy the rule of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism in China took the Chinese people more than a hundred years and cost them tens of millions of lives before the victory in 1949. Look! Were these not living tigers, iron tigers, real tigers? But in the end they changed into paper tigers, dead tigers, bean-curd tigers. These are historical facts. Have people not seen or heard about these facts? There have indeed been thousands and tens of thousands of them ! Thousands and tens of thousands ! Hence, imperialism and all reactionaries, looked at in essence, from a long-term point of view, from a strategic point of view, must be seen for what they are - paper tigers. On this we should build our strategic thinking. On the other hand, they are also living tigers, iron tigers, real tigers which can devour people. On this we should build our tactical thinking.
― "Speech at the Wuchang Meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China" (December 1, 1958), quoted in the explanatory note to "Talk with the American Correspondent Anna Louise Strong", Selected Works, Vol. IV, pp. 98-99.*

我说一切所有号称强大的反动派统统不过是纸老虎。原因是他们脱离人民。你看，希特勒是不是纸老虎？希特勒不是被打倒了吗？我也谈到沙皇是纸老虎，中国皇帝是纸老虎，日本帝国主义是纸老虎，你看，都倒了。美帝国主义没有倒，还有原子弹，我看也是要倒的，也是纸老虎。
——《在各国共产党和工人党莫斯科会议上的讲话》（一九五七年十一月十八日），《毛泽东同志论帝国主义和一切反动派都是纸老虎》人民出版社版第二四页
I have said that all the reputedly powerful reactionaries are merely paper tigers. The reason is that they are divorced from the people. Look! Was not Hitler a paper tiger? Was Hitler not overthrown? I also said that the tsar of Russia, the emperor of China and Japanese imperialism were all paper tigers. As we know, they were all overthrown. U.S. imperialism has not yet been overthrown and it has the atom bomb. I believe it also will be overthrown. It, too, is a paper tiger.
― "Speech at the Moscow Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties" (November 18, 1957).

“搬起石头打自己的脚”，这是中国人形容某些蠢人的行为的一名俗话。各国反动派也就是这样的一批蠢人。他们对于革命人民所作的种种迫害，归根结底，只能促进人民的更广泛更剧烈的革命。难道沙皇和蒋介石对于革命人民的种种迫害，不就是对于伟大的俄国革命和伟大的中国革命起了这样的促进作用吗？
——《在苏联最高苏维埃庆祝伟大的十月社会主义革命四十周年会议上的讲话》（一九五七年十一月六日），人民出版社版第五页
"Lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet" is a Chinese folk saying to describe the behaviour of certain fools. The reactionaries in all countries are fools of this kind. In the final analysis, their persecution of the revolutionary people only serves to accelerate the people's revolutions on a broader and more intense scale. Did not the persecution of the revolutionary people by the tsar of Russia and by Chiang Kai-shek perform this function in the great Russian and Chinese revolutions?
― "Speech at the Meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. in Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution" (November 6, 1957).

美帝国主义九年来侵占了我国领土台湾，不久以前又派遣它的武装部队侵占了黎巴嫩。美国在全世界许多国家建立了几百个军事基地。中国领土台湾、黎巴嫩以及所有美国在外国的军事基地，都是套在美帝国主义脖子上的绞索。不是别人而是美国人自己制造这种绞索，并把它套在自己的脖子上，而把绞索的另一端交给了中国人民、阿拉伯各国人民和全世界一切爱和平反侵略的人民。美国侵略者在这些地方停留得越久，套在它的头上的绞索就将越紧。
——《在最高国务会议上的讲话》（一九五八年九月八日），一九五八年九月九日《人民日报》
U.S. imperialism invaded China's territory of Taiwan and has occupied it for the past nine years. A short while ago it sent its armed forces to invade and occupy Lebanon. The United States has set up hundreds of military bases in many countries all over the world. China's territory of Taiwan, Lebanon and all military bases of the United States on foreign soil are so many nooses round the neck of U.S. imperialism. The nooses have been fashioned by the Americans themselves and by nobody else, and it is they themselves who have put these nooses round their own necks, handing the ends of the ropes to the Chinese people, the peoples of the Arab countries and all the peoples of the world who love peace and oppose aggression. The longer the U.S. aggressors remain in those places, the tighter the nooses round their necks will become.
― "Speech at the Supreme State Conference" (September 8, 1958).

帝国主义者的寿命不会很长了，因为他们尽做坏事，专门扶植各国反人民的反动派，霸占大量的殖民地、半殖民地和军事基地，以原子战争威胁和平。这样，他们就迫使全世界百分之九十以上的人正在或者将要对他们群起而攻之。但是帝国主义者目前还是在活着，他们依然在向亚洲、非洲、拉丁美洲横行霸道。他们在西方世界也依然在压迫他们本国的人民群众。这种局面必需改变。结束帝国主义主要是美帝国主义的侵略和压迫，是全世界人民的任务。
——《对新华社记者的谈话》（一九五八年九月二十九日），《毛泽东同志论帝国主义和一切反动派都是纸老虎》人民出版社版第三一页
Imperialism will not last long because it always does evil things. It persists in grooming and supporting reactionaries in all countries who are against the people, it has forcibly seized many colonies and semi-colonies and many military bases, and it threatens the peace with atomic war. Thus, forced by imperialism to do so, more than 90 per cent of the people of the world are rising or will rise up in struggle against it. Yet imperialism is still alive, still running amuck in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In the West imperialism is still oppressing the people at home. This situation must change. It is the task of the people of the whole world to put an end to the aggression and oppression perpetrated by imperialism, and chiefly by U.S. imperialism.
― "Interview with a Hsinhua News Agency correspondent" (September 29, 1958).

美帝国主义到处横行霸道，把它自己放在同全世界人民为敌的地位，使它自己越来越陷于孤立。美帝国主义手里的原子弹、氢弹，是吓不倒一切不愿意做奴隶的人们的。全世界人民反对美国侵略者的怒潮是不可阻挡的。全世界人民对美帝国主义及其走狗的斗争一定会取得更加伟大的胜利。
——《支持巴拿马人民反美爱国正义斗争的谈话》（一九六四年一月十二日），《全世界人民团结起来打败美国侵略者及其一切走狗》人民出版社版第九——一零页
Riding roughshod everywhere, U.S. imperialism has made itself the enemy of the people of the world and has increasingly isolated itself. Those who refuse to be enslaved will never be cowed by the atom bombs and hydrogen bombs in the hands of the U.S. imperialists. The raging tide of the people of the world against the U.S. aggressors is irresistible. Their struggle against U.S. imperialism and its lackeys will assuredly win still greater victories.
― "Statement Supporting the Panamanian People's Just Patriotic Struggle Against U.S. Imperialism" (January 12, 1964), People of the World, Unite and Defeat the U.S. Aggressors and All Their Lackeys, 2nd ed., pp. 9-10.

美国垄断资本集团如果坚持推行它的侵略政策和战争政策，势必有一天要被全世界人民处以绞刑。其他美国帮凶也将是这样。
——《在最高国务会议上的讲话》（一九五八年九月八日），一九五八年九月九日《人民日报》
If the U.S. monopoly capitalist groups persist in pushing their policies of aggression and war, the day is bound to come when they will be hanged by the people of the whole world. The same fate awaits the accomplices of the United States.
― "Speech at the Supreme State Conference" (September 8, 1958).

为了同敌人作斗争，我们在一个长时间内形成了一个概念，就是说，在战略上我们要藐视一切敌人，在战术上我们要重视一切敌人。也就是说在整体上我们一定要藐视它，在一个一个的具体问题上我们一定要重视它。如果不是在整体上藐视敌人，我们就要犯机会主义的错误。马克思、恩格思只有两个人，那时他们就说全世界资本主义要被打倒。但是在具体问题上，在一个一个敌人的问题上，如果我们不重视它，我们就要犯冒险主义的错误。打仗只能一仗一仗地打，敌人只能一部分一部分地消灭。工厂只能一个一个地盖，农民犁地只能一块一块的犁，就是吃饭也是如此。我们在战略上藐视吃饭：这顿饭我们能够吃下去。但是具体地吃，却是一口口地吃的，你不可能把一桌酒席一口吞下去。这叫做各个解决，军事书上叫做各个击破。
——《在各国共产党和工人党莫斯科会议上的讲话》（一九五七年十一月十八日），《毛泽东同志论帝国主义和一切反动派都是纸老虎》人民出版社版第二五页
Over a long period we have developed this concept for the struggle against the enemy: strategically we should despise all our enemies, but tactically we should take them all seriously. This also means that we must despise the enemy with respect to the whole, but that we must take him seriously with respect to each and every concrete question. If we do not despise the enemy with respect to the whole, we shall be committing the error of opportunism. Marx and Engels were only two individuals, and yet in those early days they already declared that capitalism would be overthrown throughout the world. But in dealing with concrete problems and particular enemies we shall be committing the error of adventurism unless we take them seriously. In war, battles can only be fought one by one and the enemy forces can only be destroyed one by one. Factories can only be built one by one. The peasants can only plough the land plot by plot. The same is even true of eating a meal. Strategically, we take the eating of a meal lightly - we know we can finish it. But actually we eat it mouthful by mouthful. It is impossible to swallow an entire banquet in one gulp. This is known as a piecemeal solution. In military parlance, it is called wiping out the enemy forces one by one.
― "Speech at the Moscow Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties" (November 18, 1957).

我认为现在国际形势到了一个新的转折点。世界上现在有两股风：东风，西风。中国有句成语：“不是东风压倒西风，就是西风压倒东风。”我认为目前形势的特点是东风压倒西风，也就是说，社会主义的力量对于帝国主义的力量占了压倒的优势。
——《在各国共产党和工人党莫斯科会议上的讲话》（一九五七年十一月十八日），《毛泽东同志论帝国主义和一切反动派都是纸老虎》人民出版社版第二六页
It is my opinion that the international situation has now reached a new turning point. There are two winds in the world today, the East Wind and the West Wind. There is a Chinese saying, "Either the East Wind prevails over the West Wind or the West Wind prevails over the East Wind." I believe it is characteristic of the situation today that the East Wind is prevailing over the West Wind. That is to say, the forces of socialism have become overwhelmingly superior to the forces of imperialism.