𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐱 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬

-- Nasir Khan

The problem of glorifying individuals from ancient times to the present has existed. The term 'personality cult' covers such a phenomenon. Some political and influential people in power have carefully cultivated their images in this fashion. Their followers took such notions of worshipping personalities to extreme limits.
When some activists began to praise Karl Marx and Frederick Engles for their political accomplishments in the International Workingmen's Association (IWA), Marx showed his aversion to it; he had no place for such eulogies for himself and his friend Engels. We can see how he saw the problem in his letter to Wilhelm Bloss in Hamburg (1877):

"Neither of us cares a straw for popularity. Let me cite one proof of this: such was my aversion to the personality cult that at the time of the International, when plagued by numerous moves — originating from various countries — to accord me public honour, I never allowed one of these to enter the domain of publicity, nor did I ever reply to them, save with an occasional snub.
When Engels and I first joined the secret communist society, we did so only on condition that anything conducive to a superstitious belief in authority be eliminated from the Rules."

-- Marx & Engels Collected Works Vol. 45, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1991, p. 288