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“Managers try to make the workplace safer and less destructive (= more productive) of a precious capital: labour. Animal exploitation duplicates this process. It tends to experiment less on animals in order to get more from them, painfully if it must, painlessly if it can”
Gilles Dauvé (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Getting information out of them was like extracting gold from ore—a lot of labour and time, and why bother to do it when you know there’s a store just around the corner?”
Karen Lord (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Labour is in the doldrums and we have to ask ourselves why. Why, day after day during the campaign, we failed to get a hearing. Why the voters aren’t getting the alternative vision of a fairer, stronger, more just Britain that we should be offering.”
Jo Cox (1974–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We both nominated Corbyn for leader last year. We have never had cause to doubt his commitment to society’s most disadvantaged and to Labour’s values – a commitment we all share. But we have come to regret that decision.”
Jo Cox (1974–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They [the then Labour government] planned to let bureaucrats snoop on peoples' phone and email conversations. We helped to stop that.”
Theresa May (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Labour party is intent on turning law-abiding and decent citizens into criminals by banning hunting - and we marched to stop that.”
Theresa May (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Suppose that a cask of new wine, which cost £50, is put into a cellar, and that, at the end of twelve months, it is worth £55, the question is: Should the £5 of additional value, given to the wine, be considered as a compensation for the time the £50 worth of capital has been locked up, or should it be considered as the value of additional labour actually laid out in the wine?”
John Ramsay McCulloch (1789–1864) said by 1864 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If all this be not put in practize... it wil be beneficiall to our successors, if future men shal hereafter be of such nature as our predecessors, who were never negligent of so great advantage. ...they may all deliver them selves when they will, from so much and so great labour.”
Simon Stevin (1548–1620) said by 1620 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Manufacture is a word, which, in the vicissitude of language, has come to signify the reverse of its intrinsic meaning, for it now denotes every extensive product of art, which is made by machinery, with little or no aid of the human hand; so that the most perfect manufacture is that which dispenses entirely with manual labour.”
Andrew Ure (1778–1857) said by 1857 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thus feminism is more than contesting the discursive positioning of women; feminism involves peaceable households and cooperative child care, and so on. The labour movement tries to create more democratic workplaces; anti-colonial movements build structures of self-government. All of these movements create new cultural forms and circulate new knowledge.”
Raewyn Connell (born 1944) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Not only the tools of manual labour, but also the tools of human thought — words — are subject to the laws of historical development. The history of the meanings of words is outside the area of interest of formal logic, and could not be fruitfully studied by the methods of that discipline.”
Witold Doroszewski (1899–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The highest production and living standards cannot be achieved without a new and human spirit in the industrial world. No industry can succeed without the co-operation of capital, management and labour. Each must be encouraged. Each must be fairly rewarded. Between the three there must be mutual understanding and respect.”
Robert Menzies (1894–1978) first seen 1949 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 1949 election campaign speech delivered in Melbourne (10 November 1949)
“Dead labour is far harder to control than the live stuff was, which is why the enlightenment project of interring gothic superstition was the royal road to the first truly vampiric civilization, in which death alone comes to rule.”
Nick Land (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is one of the mutterings which they are muttering today: "The social well-being of the people, the upward movement of the non-propertied or labour classes to material welfare, is continually being obstructed by conceptions of political subserviency and passive obedience to despotic authority, which is directly traceable to Christian doctrine.”
Bouck White (1874–1951) said by 1951 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Singh returned to his reading material, a glossy brochure that folded like a particularly annoying map, for the products of Bharat Chemicals. ... A flowchart explained that the employee structure combined the best elements of East and West’ – surly American management and cheap Indian labour, concluded Singh.”
Shamini Flint (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[The approach of the BMS (founded by Thengadi)] to labour relations and economic policy is roughly that of the Christian-Democratic trade-unionists in Europe...”
Dattopant Thengadi (1920–2004) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: About the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS). Elst, Koenraad (2001). Decolonizing the Hindu mind: Ideological development of Hindu revivalism. New Delhi: Rupa. p. 154
“I am proud to represent the Labour party, which established the minimum wage, which some Opposition parties could not find time to support.”
Dawn Butler (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But if the Corbyn-led Labour party is to be successful, its supporters have to communicate. It is difficult, with relentless hostility raining down on your head, but that means adopting an inclusive, cheerful, positive approach: love-bombing opponents, even.”
Owen Jones (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As Jeremy Corbyn is surrounded by cheering crowds, Labour generally, and the left specifically, are teetering on the edge of looming calamity.”
Owen Jones (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On a daily basis I have angry strangers yelling at me, on the one hand, that I'm responsible for the destruction of the Labour Party. [...] And on the other, I'm a right-wing sellout careerist who's allied to Tony Blair and possibly in the pay of the Israeli government.”
Owen Jones (born 1984) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From the same Facebook post, as cited in "Owen Jones quits social media after being accused of being 'in the pay of the Israeli government'", The Jewish Chronicle (12 March 2017)
“And here’s where moral clarity is needed. Antisemitism exists, it is a menace, and frightens Jews traumatised by the all too recent Holocaust. Labour must show far greater leadership in tackling antisemitism in the party and rooting out every and any antisemite. But that should not detract from the just cause of showing solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Owen Jones (born 1984) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Corbyn wreath ‘scandal’ is just an exercise in hypocrisy", The Guardian (14 August 2018)
“And Galloway – a toxic demagogue who campaigned alongside Nigel Farage and voted Tory earlier this year – succeeded both in eating into the party's Muslim vote, and driving other residents into Labour's camp in opposition.”
Owen Jones (born 1984) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Batley and Spen gives Starmer a second chance – will he take it?", The Guardian (2 July 2021)
“It remains the case that the most interesting ideas are bubbling away on the left: banishing them from Labour's future is an act of self-harm. If a meek Starmer administration disappoints, a now cowed left may find an audience willing to listen. Starmer's team is buoyant now, and understandably so: but history tell us where hubris leads.”
Owen Jones (born 1984) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Starmer's banishment of Corbyn is one more step in eradicating the left from the Labour party", The Guardian (17 February 2023)
“A principled position Scottish Labour could long have adopted is to wholeheartedly back the right of Scotland to national self-determination, without requiring any embrace of independence. In the here and now, that means championing new devolved powers, but also handing Scotland the right to choose the timing of any potential independence referendum.”
Owen Jones (born 1984) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Can the Union survive Keir Starmer?", The National (20 January 2024).
“The Hindus and Turks live close together. Each makes fun of the other’s religion. (dhamme) (...) The Turks coerce passers-by into doing forced labour. Grabbing hold of a Brahmin boy, they put a cow’s vagina on his head. They rub out his tilak and break his sacred thread. (...) They destroy temples and construct mosques.”
Vidyapati (1352–1448) said by 1448 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[According to Bernier, the Mughals maintained] “a large army for the purpose of keeping people in subjection… No adequate idea can be conveyed of the sufferings of the people. The cudgel and the whip compel them to incessant labour… their revolt or their flight is only prevented by the presence of a military force.”
François Bernier (1620–1688) said by 1688 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted from Lal, K. S. (1992). The legacy of Muslim rule in India. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan. Chapter 4
“You are wrong, Milei [...] you who were put in Argentina to destroy the rule of law, to destroy the State, to destroy all social and labour rights, to destroy the national economy and to colonise Argentina and deliver it to the knees of North American imperialism.”
Nicolás Maduro (born 1962) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Nicolás Maduro dice que Javier Milei es “un error fatal en la historia de Argentina”, El Diario, (15 January 2024)
“Comrades. Our labour has ended, the armed struggle has begun... The invincible flames of the revolution will glow, turning to lead and steel... There will be a great rupture and we will be the makers of the new dawn ... We shall convert the black fire into red and the red into pure light.”
Abimael Guzmán (1934–2021) said by 2021 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In 1920 the British philosopher Bertrand Russell spent five weeks in Bolshevik Russia as a member of a Labour Party delegation. The group hoped to discover a promised land, breaking into spontaneous choruses of the Internationale and Red Flag on spying the first Red banners across the border. After twenty-four hours Russell realized that there was not much to sing about.”
Michael Burleigh (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Catastrophe is foolish and reckless word to use. No politician should use it. It's one thing for the Labour Party to say, it's quite another for Conservatives to say it. Catastrophe is a word which should be reserved for genuine massive loss of life, and for people to call leaving without a withdrawal agreement a catastrophe is an act of reckless harm to the United Kingdom.”
Steve Baker (born 1971) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interviewed on ITV News (13 March 2019)
“The only reason the Liberals allow the program to continue is a lack of political will and a desire to kowtow to lobby groups advocating for cheap indentured labour.”
Michelle Rempel Garner (born 1980) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 03 September 2025 in an opinion column published by the Toronto Sun on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
“Labour is pursuing a Brexit that aligns more with the Conservatives than the white paper co-authored with Plaid Cymru”
Leanne Wood (born 1971) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Unions Brexit campaign decision 'mistake', claims Wood BBC News (19 June 2018)
“The Labour Party has supported strong counter-terrorism legislation over the years and we have that commitment in our manifesto”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Labour's Keir Starmer says IRA comments were 'regrettable'" BBC News (7 June 2017)
“Labour would seek a transitional deal that maintains the same basic terms that we currently enjoy with the EU. That means we would seek to remain in a customs union with the EU and within the single market during this period. It means we would abide by the common rules of both.”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Brexit: Keep single market for transition period - Labour" BBC News (27 August 2017)
“Remaining in a form of customs union after a transition post-Brexit phase remained a possible end destination for the Labour party.”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Labour conference: Starmer claims 'grown-up' Brexit stance" BBC News (25 September 2017)
“I don’t think there are big issues on which I’ve changed my mind. The big issue we were grappling with then was how the Labour Party, or the left generally, bound together the wider movement and its strands of equality – feminist politics, green politics, LGBT – which I thought was incredibly exciting, incredibly important.”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Patrick Maguire, "Keir Starmer: The sensible radical", The New Statesman (31 March 2020)
“The principle of what I want to achieve is clear: if you are anti-Semitic, you cannot and should not be in the Labour Party. No ifs, no buts.”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Keir Starmer: I apologise to the Jewish community — rebuilding your trust starts now" Evening Standard (7 April 2020)
“So let me be very clear: with Labour, Britain will not go back into the EU. We will not be joining the single market. We will not be joining a customs union.”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech quoted in "Starmer ends Labour silence on Brexit as he rules out rejoining single market", The Guardian (4 July 2022).
“Today I want to set out what's at stake for Britain, because while politics is always about choices, the choice now is as stark as it gets. We face a battle for the soul of our country, who we are, who we're for, and the Labour choices of Britian is that it's greener, fairer, and more dynamic.”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Government is in turmoil, Starmer calls for an Election Speech (October 2022)
“The Labour Party I lead today is unrecognisable from 2019. There are those who don't like that change, who still refuse to see the reality of what had gone on under the previous leadership. To them I say in all candour: we are never going back. If you don’t like it, nobody is forcing you to stay.”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Responding to the 2024 election being called. "Keir Starmer delivering a speech on the announcement of the UK General Election", Labour.org (22 May 2024)”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“From the manifesto launch, as cited in "Keir Starmer – A stronger, safer, more secure Britain speech", Labour Party press release (3 June 2024)”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think it's actually against Labour party rules to endorse another [candidate].”
Keir Starmer (born 1962) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Starmer, reference to Count Binface's participation in the in "Count Binface on Clacton byelection: ‘I didn’t know old Farage was going to self-detonate’", The Guardian (8 July, 2026).
“It is not enough to say to people who have come here and made their home here and their life here that we want your labour. We’ve got to be able to say that we want your brains, we want your culture, we want your passion, we want you in our country, making our country better and giving these people security.”
Ruth Davidson (born 1978) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted by The Guardian. Ruth Davidson pokes fun at Andrea Leadsom and Boris Johnson (13 July 2016)
“[Under a Labour government, there would be] no indulgence of human rights abuses because they are committed by less powerful countries, or by countries who call themselves 'socialist' but who, by their actions, betray every socialist ideal.”
Emily Thornberry (born 1960) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Emily Thornberry: Labour 'supports pressure' on Venezuela BBC News (6 February 2019)
“[Labour must] lead the campaign to remain”
Emily Thornberry (born 1960) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: News Daily: Thomas Cook collapse and Labour Brexit row BBC News (23 September 2019)
“The public will never forgive Labour if the frontbench lose their bottle on Brexit. The Liberal Democrats can guarantee we will fight for the people to have a final say on Brexit, including the option to remain, at every opportunity.”
Tom Brake (born 1962) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Brexit: Lib Dems to make Commons bid for another referendum BBC News (7 December 2018)
“[Brexit is] the first instance that I can think of in living memory of a government pursuing a policy that they know is going to make our economy smaller and reduce people's livelihoods and life chances and I cannot understand why we in Labour would support that.”
Owen Smith (born 1970) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Labour's Owen Smith 'stood by principles' on Brexit BBC News (24 March 2018)
“Free movement of labour was never meant to be an unqualified principle, irrespective of how it might have worked on the ground. We do need to see action taken in relation to negotiation with the EU. [The government is] taking a fundamental look at some of the rules that allow unrestricted immigration.”
Justine Greening (born 1969) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: EU exit would leave Britain with zero influence, says Barroso", BBC News (19 October 2014)
“We need to become a political home to pro-EU liberal Tories and pro-EU liberal and social democrat Labour MPs and voters.”
Ed Davey (born 1965) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Liberal Democrat leadership: Contenders make pitches", BBC News (26 June 2019)