If Socialism can only be realized when the intellectual development of all the people permits it, then we shall not see Socialism for at least five hundred years.

Summary

This quote suggests that socialism, an economic system where the means of production are owned by the community as a whole, can only be achieved when the intellectual development of all individuals reaches a certain level. Based on this premise, the quote pessimistically speculates that it might take at least five hundred years for this level of intellectual development to be attained, hence implying that the realization of socialism may be a distant future event.

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