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Favourite quotes (21448)

“The true conquests, the only ones that cause no regret, are those made over ignorance.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

(November 26, 1797) as quoted in Andrew Roberts Napoleon: A Life p. 157

“There are so many laws that no one is safe from hanging.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“Those who are free from common prejudices acquire others.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Memoirs of Napoleon (1829-1831)

“Bonaparte has advanced with great strides, but he will never enter Paris.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Le Moniteur Universel, March 19, 1815.
About

“I do not see in religion the mystery of the incarnation so much as the mystery of the social order. It introduces into the thought of heaven an idea of equalization, which saves the rich from being massacred by the poor.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Often paraphrased as “Religion keeps the poor from killing the rich.”
Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“If I had succeeded, I would have been the greatest man known to history.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

As quoted in The Tyrants : 2500 Years of Absolute Power and Corruption (2006) by Clive Foss ISBN 1905204965
Attributed

“In France, only the impossible is admired.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“Among so many conflicting ideas and so many different perspectives, the honest man is confused and distressed and the skeptic becomes wicked … Since one must take sides, one might as well choose the side that is victorious, the side which devastates, loots, and burns. Considering the alternative, it is better to eat than to be eaten.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Letter to his brother, as quoted in The Age of Napoleon (2002) by J. Christopher Herold, p. 8

“To listen to the interests of all, marks an ordinary government; to foresee them, marks a great government.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“There is no such thing as an absolute despotism; it is only relative. A man cannot wholly free himself from obligation to his fellows. A sultan who cut off heads from caprice, would quickly lose his own in the same way. Excesses tend to check themselves by reason of their own violence. What the ocean gains in one place it loses in another.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“Destiny urges me to a goal of which I am ignorant. Until that goal is attained I am invulnerable, unassailable. When Destiny has accomplished her purpose in me, a fly may suffice to destroy me.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“Whatever shall we do in that remote spot? Well, we will write our memoirs. Work is the scythe of time.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

On board H.M.S. Bellerophon (August 1815)

“Leave the Artillerymen alone, they are an obstinate lot.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

As quoted in The Dictionary of Military and Naval Quotations (1966) by Robert Heinl, Jr.
Attributed

“Greatness is nothing unless it be lasting.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Political Aphorisms, Moral and Philosophical Thoughts (1848)

“The superior man is never in anyone's way.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“You cannot drag a man's conscience before any tribunal, and no one is answerable for his religious opinions to any power on earth.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“Nothing is so contrary to military rules as to make the strength of your army known, either in the orders of the day, in proclamations, or in the newspapers.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“In politics, an absurdity is not an impediment.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“More glorious to merit a sceptre than to possess one.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Memoirs of Napoleon (1829-1831)

“Democracy may become frenzied, but it has feelings and can be moved. As for aristocracy, it is always cold and never forgives.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)