What did you read from Marx? The issue is that a lot of his texts have a much different purpose from Lenin's and Mao's or even Engels'. He was trying to put a new science on firm and rigorous footing, unlike them who were often trying to appeal to a very wide audience, or face concrete and specific problems. People hear a lot about Das Kapital etc so often they think "wow if it is so important I have to try and read it" and then they see stars or end up misinterpreting stuff because it really isn't an amazing place to start, especially if you are on your own.
What did you read from Marx? The issue is that a lot of his texts have a much different purpose from Lenin's and Mao's or even Engels'. He was trying to put a new science on firm and rigorous footing, unlike them who were often trying to appeal to a very wide audience, or face concrete and specific problems. People hear a lot about Das Kapital etc so often they think "wow if it is so important I have to try and read it" and then they see stars or end up misinterpreting stuff because it really isn't an amazing place to start, especially if you are on your own.