Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatina
Napoleon
215 quotes
“Send me 300 francs; that sum will enable me to go to Paris. There, at least, one can cut a figure and surmount obstacles. Everything tells me I shall succeed. Will you prevent me from doing so for the want of 100 crowns?”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1791 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to his uncle, Joseph Fesch (June 1791), as quoted in A Selection from the Letters and Despatches of the First Napoleon. With Explanatory Notes (1884) edited by D. A. Bingham, Vol. I, p. 24
“Hand weapons were the main weapons of the ancients; it is with his short sword that the legionary conquered the world. It is with the Macedonian lance that Alexander conquered Asia.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My waking thoughts are all of thee. Your portrait and the remembrance of last night's delirium have robbed my senses of repose. Sweet and incomparable Josephine, what an extraordinary influence you have over my heart. Are you vexed? Do I see you sad? Are you ill at ease? My soul is broken with grief, and there is no rest for your lover.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1796 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Joséphine de Beauharnais (February 1796), as translated in Napoleon's Letters to Josephine 1796-1812 (1901) edited by Henry Foljambe Hall
“All great events hang by a hair. The man of ability takes advantage of everything and neglects nothing that can give him a chance of success; whilst the less able man sometimes loses everything by neglecting a single one of those chances.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1797 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Passariano (26 September 1797), as quoted in Napoleon as a General (1902) by Maximilian Yorck von Wartenburg, p. 269
“From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1798 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to his troops in Egypt (21 July 1798) Variant translation: "Soldiers, from the summit of yonder pyramids forty centuries look down upon you...". Published in the autobiography of French general Eugène de Beauharn…
“What I have done up to this is nothing. I am only at the beginning of the course I must run. Do you imagine that I triumph in Italy in order to aggrandise the pack of lawyers who form the Directory, and men like Carnot and Barras? What an idea!”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1788 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Memoirs of Count Miot de Melito (1788 - 1815) as translated by Frances Cashel Hoey and John Lillie (1881), Vol. II, p. 94
“I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of the Quran which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1798 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Sheikh El-Messiri (28 August 1798); published in Correspondance Napoleon edited by Henri Plon (1861), Vol.4, No. 3148, p. 420
“The sanhedrin is at least useful to me.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The barbarous custom of having men beaten who are suspected of having important secrets to reveal must be abolished. It has always been recognized that this way of interrogating men, by putting them to torture, produces nothing worthwhile. The poor wretches say anything that comes into their mind and what they think the interrogator wishes to know.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1798 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the subject of torture, in a letter to Louis Alexandre Berthier (11 November 1798), published in Correspendance Napoleon edited by Henri Plon (1861), Vol. V, No. 3605, p. 128
“A form of government that is not the result of a long sequence of shared experiences, efforts, and endeavors can never take root.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1803 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement (1803) as quoted in The Mind of Napoleon (1955) by J. Christopher Herold
“Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1804 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon's War Maxims: With His Social and Political Thoughts (1804-15), Gale & Polden, (1899) p. 148
“Commerce unites men and make them; therefore it is fatal to despotic power.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1804 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon's War Maxims: With His Social and Political Thoughts (1804-15), Gale & Polden, (1899) p. 150
“For my part, it is not the mystery of the incarnation which I discover in religion, but the mystery of social order, which associates with heaven that idea of equality which prevents the rich from destroying the poor. [Incorrect translation, should be prevents the rich from being massacred by the poor.] Religion is indeed a kind of vaccine innoculation, which, by satisfying our natural love for the marvellous, keeps us out of the hands of charlatans and conjurors. The priests are better than the Cagliostros, the Kants, and all the visionaries of Germany.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1806 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement, March 4, 1806, as reported in Opinions de Napoléon sur divers sujets de politique et d'administration, recueillies par un membre de son conseil d'état as recalled by Baron Joseph Pelet de la Lozère (1833), p.…
“I am the Roman Emperor.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1806 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Napoleon Writes a Letter to the Pope Claiming Rome Belongs to Him: February 13, 1806, Letter to Pope Pius VII (February 13, 1806).
“I will bring the nobles of this Court down so low that they shall be obliged to beg their bread.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1806 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Said to "Count Nesch" [sic, probably Cardinal Fesch] on entry into Berlin, 26 October 1806. Quoted in "Memoirs of the Empress Josephine" by Madame de Rémusat, Volume 2
“My intention is that the main village where the insurrection started shall be burnt, and that thirty of the ringleaders shall be shot; an impressive example is needed to contain the hatred of the peasantry and of that soldiery. If you have not yet made an example, let there be one without delay... Let not the month pass without the principal village, borough, or small town which gave the signal for the insurrection being burned, and a large number of individuals being shot... Traces must be left in the cantons which have rebelled.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1807 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to the commander-in-chief on the revolt in Hesse (8 January 1807), quoted in Pieter Geyl, Napoleon For and Against (1949), p. 172
“I am not satisfied with the order which is kept in Madrid; Belliard is too weak; with the Spaniards it is necessary to be severe. I have arrested here fifteen of the worst characters, and I have ordered them to be shot. Arrest thirty at Madrid... If you treat the mob with kindness, these creatures fancy themselves invulnerable; if you hang a few, they get tired of the game, and become as submissive and humble as they ought to be.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1809 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain (10 January 1809), quoted in The Confidential Correspondence of Napoleon Bonaparte with His Brother Joseph, Sometime King of Spain: Selected and Translated, with Explanatory Not…
“So…Bessieres lived like Bayard; he died like Turenne. We should all be envious of his fate.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Conscripts, for shame! It was on you that I was basing my hopes. I expected much from your young courage, and you are running away!”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Where do you think you are going? Can’t you see that the battle is won? Come on, stand firm!”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have gained the battle of Lutzen like the general-in-chief of the Army of Italy and of the Army of Egypt!”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1789 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking about troubles in the invasions of Russia (10 December 1812), as recorded by Abbé du Pradt, and quoted in History of Europe from the Commencement of the French Revolution in 1789, to the Restoration of the Bour…
“Le mot impossible n'est pas français.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1813 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to General Jean Le Marois (9 July 1813), quoted in Famous Sayings and their Authors (1906) by Edward Latham, p. 138
“If the art of war were nothing but the art of avoiding risks, glory would become the prey of mediocre minds.... I have made all the calculations; fate will do the rest.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1813 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement at the beginning of the 1813 campaign, as quoted in The Mind of Napoleon (1955) by J. Christopher Herold, p. 45
“All authority is in the throne; and what is the throne? This wooden frame covered with velvet? No, I am the throne.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1813 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address to the Legislative Body (December 1813); he here echoes the remark attributed to Louis XIV L'état c'est moi ( "The State is I" or more commonly: "I am the State.")
“France is invaded; I am leaving to take command of my troops, and, with God's help and their valor, I hope soon to drive the enemy beyond the frontier.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1814 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement at Paris (23 January 1814)
“The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1814 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement at Montereau (17 February 1814)
“The Allied Powers having proclaimed that the Emperor Napoleon is the sole obstacle to the re-establishment of peace in Europe, he, faithful to his oath, declares that he is ready to descend from the throne, to quit France, and even to relinquish life, for the good of his country.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1814 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Act of Abdication (4 April 1814)
“England will repent of bringing the Russians so far: they will deprive her of India.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1814 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Comment made to Lord John Russell, Elba 1814, as recorded in Russell's journal and quoted in Lady John Russell: A Memoir (1910) edited by Desmond McCarthy and Agatha Russell. p. 56
“Unite for the public safety, if you would remain an independent nation.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1815 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Proclamation to the French People (22 June 1815)
“Wherever wood can swim, there I am sure to find this flag of England.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1815 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement at Rochefort (July 1815)
“Whatever shall we do in that remote spot? Well, we will write our memoirs. Work is the scythe of time.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1815 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On board H.M.S. Bellerophon (August 1815)
“I generally had to give in.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1816 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement on his relations with the Empress Josephine (19 May 1816), quoted in The Story of Civilization (1935) by Will Durant and Ariel Durant, p. 234
“The Princes of this house have abandoned their capital, not like soldiers of honour who cede to the circumstances and setbacks of the war, but like the perjured who are pursued by their own remorse.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I did not usurp the crown. I picked it up from the gutter; the people placed it on my head. I was king of the people as the Bourbons are kings of the nobles”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1816 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 3 September 1816. Quoted in Napoleon at St Helena, John Stevens Cabot Abbott, pg 375.
“I may have had many projects, but I never was free to carry out any of them. It did me little good to be holding the helm; no matter how strong my hands, the sudden and numerous waves were stronger still, and I was wise enough to yield to them rather than resist them obstinately and make the ship founder. Thus I never was truly my own master but was always ruled by circumstances.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1816 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Conversation with Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases (11 November 1816), Mémorial de Sainte Hélène, v. 4, p. 133.
“What then is, generally speaking, the truth of history? A fable agreed upon.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1758 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Conversation with Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases (20 November 1816), Mémorial de Sainte Hélène, v. 4, p. 251. However, the phrase predates Napoleon. Helvétius attributes it to Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, De l'esprit …
“Women are nothing but machines for producing children.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1815 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The St. Helena Journal of General Baron Gourgaud (9 January 1817); as quoted in The St. Helena Journal of General Baron Gourgaud, 1815-1818 : Being a Diary written at St. Helena during a part of Napoleon's Captivity (19…
“My maxim was, la carrière est ouverte aux talents, without distinction of birth or fortune.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Religions are all founded on miracles — on things we cannot understand, such as the Trinity. Jesus calls himself the Son of God, and yet is descended from David. I prefer the religion of Mahomet — it is less ridiculous than ours.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1815 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter from St. Helena (28 August 1817); as quoted in The St. Helena Journal of General Baron Gourgaud, 1815-1818 : Being a Diary written at St. Helena during a part of Napoleon's Captivity (1932) as translated by Norma…
“J'aurais dû mourir à Waterloo”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Mahomet was a great man, an intrepid soldier; with a handful of men he triumphed at the battle of Bender [sic]; a great captain, eloquent, a great man of state, he revived his fatherland and created a new people and a new power in the middle of Arabia.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Napoleon I of France in Précis des guerres de César, Gosselin, 1836, edited by Comte Marchand, p. 237. This work was written by Napoleon during his exile on St. Helena. Translated by Ziad Elmarsafy in The Enlightenment …
“The Mohammedan religion is the finest of all”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Talks of Napoleon at St. Helena with General Baron Gourgaud, together with the journal kept by Gourgaud on their journey from Waterloo to St Helena (1903), pp. 279–280
“Muhammad was a great man, an intrepid soldier; with a handful of men he triumphed at the battle of Bender (sic); a great captain, eloquent, a great man of state, he revived his fatherland and created a new people and a new power in the middle of Arabia.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1817 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement of 1817 quoted in Précis des guerres de César, écrit à Sainte-Hélène sous la dictée de l'empereur (1836) edited by Comte Marchand, p. 237. This work was written by Napoleon during his exile on St. Helena. Tran…
“Muhammad was a prince; he rallied his compatriots around him. In a few years, the Muslims conquered half of the world. They plucked more souls from false gods, knocked down more idols, razed more pagan temples in fifteen years than the followers of Moses and Jesus did in fifteen centuries. Muhammad was a great man. He would indeed have been a god, if the revolution that he had performed had not been prepared by the circumstances.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Campagnes d'Egypte et Syrie, Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1998, p. 275. Translated by John Tolan in European Accounts of Muhammad's Life. Napoleon wrote his memoirs on the island of Saint Helena. It is here he develops …
“I have fought sixty battles and I have learned nothing which I did not know at the beginning.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1815 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Napoleon: A Biography by Frank McLynn, p. 145. Translated from Gourgaud's Journal de Sainte-Hélène 1815-1818, entry of 25 December 1817.
“Two of my Marshalls are racing to get under their orders the Italian troops; i leave it to Suchet who has better ambitions than Macdonald. The Italians will soon be recognized again as the first soldiers of Europe. I'm very proud of my brave Italian army.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1796 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Cited in De Laugier, Vicissitudes of the Italian people from 1801 to 1815, to. X, Firenze, 1836, p. 43 – Aless. Zanoli, About the Italian army, historical-statistical outline from 1796 to 1814, vol. II, Milano, 1845, p.…
“Our hour is marked, and no one can claim a moment of life beyond what fate has predestined.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1821 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: To Dr. Arnott (April 1821)
“I see that everybody has lost their head since the infamous capitulation of Bailén. I realise that I must go there myself to get the machine working again.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1808 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Said after Dupont's capitulation at w:Bailén to the Spanish (1808), as quoted in The Art of Warfare on Land (1974) by David G. Chandler, p. 164
“Ordinary men died, men of iron were taken prisoner: I only brought back with me men of bronze.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) first seen 1812 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement of 1812, quoted in Napoleon's Cavalry and its Leaders (1978) by David Johnson