Socialism will never work because it’s founded on emancipation, and you can’t force people to emancipate themselves. That would be the opposite of emancipation.
I’m not sure if this is a quote, I can’t remember where I heard it.
“Emancipation” in this case meaning emancipation from wage slavery.
If people as a whole felt capable enough and were brave enough to follow and speak about what’s right and good for the world, we wouldn’t need ideological leaders. The reality of things is that people are mostly fearful sheep, going through life thanks to inertia without any major self analysis or existential considerations, fleeing pain and seeking pleasure, and as such they need good shepherds.