The oppressed peoples can liberate themselves only through

“The oppressed peoples can liberate themselves only through struggle. This is a simple and clear truth confirmed by history.” — Thus spoke Kim Il-sung, a man forged in the furnace of revolution, whose words ring not as poetry but as proclamation. In them lies an ancient principle that echoes through every age: freedom is not given — it is taken, carved from the hands of oppression by the courage of those who refuse to bow. It is a truth written not in ink, but in blood; not whispered in comfort, but shouted amidst storms. For the chains of tyranny have never fallen by the mercy of the strong, but by the uprising of the enslaved.

To say that the oppressed peoples can liberate themselves only through struggle is to affirm the law of resistance that has guided all revolutions. History, the great witness of human endurance, confirms this again and again. No tyrant has ever surrendered power willingly, no empire has ever dissolved from kindness alone. Struggle — whether of sword, of mind, or of spirit — is the sacred fire that burns through injustice. It is the moment when fear turns into defiance, when despair becomes destiny. Kim Il-sung, speaking from the shadow of colonial subjugation, spoke not in theory but from lived truth: that liberation begins when the oppressed believe themselves worthy of it.

Look back upon the ages, and you will see this law fulfilled. When Spartacus rose against the might of Rome, he did not dream of mercy; he dreamed of dignity. Though his rebellion was crushed, his cry awakened the world to the idea that even slaves can rise. When the American colonies broke free from their king, it was not through petitions but through revolution. When India cast off the chains of empire, it was through the struggle of countless souls, from the peaceful defiance of Gandhi to the fiery resistance of those who dared imprisonment for the sake of freedom. Each victory, though different in form, was born of the same truth — liberation through struggle.

Even in the modern age, this pattern repeats. The oppressed cannot wait for saviors; they must become their own salvation. No one else can breathe freedom into another’s lungs. The path of liberation is not given in charity but in sacrifice. The people of Korea, under the weight of imperial rule, learned this truth in the bitter cold of occupation. In that crucible, Kim Il-sung and his comrades waged not just a battle of weapons, but of will — the belief that dignity is worth more than life itself. It is from this struggle that his words were born: not as doctrine, but as destiny.

And yet, the struggle he speaks of is not only for nations — it is for every soul. In each person’s life there exists a form of oppression: fear, doubt, addiction, despair, injustice. To overcome these, one must not wait for deliverance from outside. The spirit of struggle must awaken within. Freedom, whether of body or of mind, demands effort. It demands the courage to confront suffering rather than escape it. In this way, every person is both oppressor and liberator of themselves.

But struggle does not mean hatred. The greatest revolutions are not born from vengeance, but from the yearning for justice and dignity. To fight without losing one’s humanity — that is the mark of true liberation. History is littered with those who won power but lost their souls. Therefore, the wise struggle not only against tyranny, but against the darkness within that tyranny awakens. Victory without virtue is but another form of slavery.

Let this be the lesson: freedom, in any form, is not a gift to be received but a destiny to be claimed. Whether for a people or a person, liberation is the fruit of endurance, unity, and unyielding spirit. Do not wait for history to rescue you; become its author. Do not fear the struggle; it is the forge of strength. Every age, every nation, every heart that has ever risen from oppression has proven this simple and clear truth — that liberation is born only through struggle.

So rise, you who feel confined by circumstance or injustice. Rise, not with bitterness, but with purpose. For history waits for the brave — and the brave are those who struggle not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. In that struggle, the oppressed become the architects of their own freedom, and through them, the story of humanity marches forward, ever toward the light.