Napoleon I of France: Trending quotes (page 8)

“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

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

Religion , Idea

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

Napoleon I of France

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

History

“In France, only the impossible is admired.”

Napoleon I of France

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

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

Idea , Victory

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

Napoleon I of France

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

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

Way

“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

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

Flying

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

Napoleon I of France

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

Time

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

Napoleon I of France

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

Political Aphorisms, Moral and Philosophical Thoughts (1848)

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

Napoleon I of France

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

Way

“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

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

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

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

Napoleon I of France

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

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

Napoleon I of France

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

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

Feeling , Democracy , Forgiveness

“An army ought to be ready every moment to offer all the resistance of which it is capable.”

Napoleon I of France

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

“In war one must lean on an obstacle in order to overcome it.”

Napoleon I of France

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

War

“Never depend on the multitude, full of instability and whims; always take precautions against it.”

Napoleon I of France

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

Dependency

“As a rule it is circumstances that make men.”

Napoleon I of France

Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)

Men