“At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.”

—  Stendhal , book The Charterhouse of Parma

De loin nous ne nous faisons pas d'idée de ce que c'est que l'autorité d'un despote qui connaît de vue tous ses sujets.
Source: La Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma) (1839), Ch. 16

Original

De loin nous ne nous faisons pas d'idée de ce que c'est que l'autorité d'un despote qui connaît de vue tous ses sujets.

La Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma) (1839)

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French writer 1783–1842

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