"Capitalists are no more capable of self-sacrifice than a man is capable of lifting himself up by his own bootstraps"

This quote by Vladimir Lenin is a criticism of capitalism and the concept that capitalists are capable of self-sacrifice. Lenin is suggesting that capitalists are not efficient in self-sacrifice, just as a male is not efficient in lifting himself up by his own bootstraps. This metaphor is utilized to highlight the impossibility of capitalists to be generous and to put the requirements of others prior to their own. Lenin is implying that capitalists are self-centered and only appreciate their own interests, which they are not capable of sacrificing their own interests for the benefit of others. This quote is a pointer that industrialism is a naturally selfish system and that it is not possible for capitalists to be generous and to put the requirements of others prior to their own.