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In a way, underdevelopment is a paradox. Many parts of the world that are naturally rich are actually poor and parts that are not so well off in wealth of soil and sub-soil are enjoying the highest standards of living. When the capitalists from the developed parts of the world try to explain this paradox, they often make it sound as though there is something “God given” about the situation.

— Walter Rodney How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972)

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More quotes by Walter Rodney

In the epoch of imperialism, the bankers became the aristocrats of the capitalist world.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972)

A country’s wealth comes not from taxes but from production.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972)

For the only great men among the unfree and the oppressed are those who struggle to destroy the oppressor.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972)

To put it another way, the social (class) relations of capitalism are now outmoded, just as slave and feudal relations became outmoded in their time.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972)

The first prerequisite for mastery of the environment is knowledge of that environment.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Walter Rodney (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.