Best quotes from Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone Buonaparte), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French emperor and military commander who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804, then of the French Empire as Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814, and briefly again in 1815. His political and cultural legacy endures as a celebrated and controversial leader.

He initiated many enduring reforms, but has been criticized for his authoritarian rule. He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history and his wars and campaigns are still studied at military schools worldwide. However, historians still debate whether he was responsible for the Napoleonic Wars in which between three and six million people died. Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica into a family descended from Italian nobility.

He was resentful of the French monarchy, and supported the French Revolution in 1789 while serving in the French army, trying to spread its ideals to his native Corsica. He rose rapidly in the ranks after saving the governing French Directory by firing on royalist insurgents. In 1796, he began a military campaign against the Austrians and their Italian allies, scoring decisive victories, and became a national hero.

Two years later he led a military expedition to Egypt that served as a springboard to political power. He engineered a coup in November 1799 and became First Consul of the Republic. In 1804, to consolidate and expand his power, he crowned himself Emperor of the French. Differences with the United Kingdom meant France faced the War of the Third Coalition by 1805. Napoleon shattered this coalition with victories in the Ulm campaign and at the Battle of Austerlitz, which led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1806, the Fourth Coalition took up arms against him. Napoleon defeated Prussia at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, marched the Grande Armée into Eastern Europe, and defeated the Russians in June 1807 at Friedland, forcing the defeated nations of the Fourth Coalition to accept the Treaties of Tilsit. Two years later, the Austrians challenged the French again during the War of the Fifth Coalition, but Napoleon solidified his grip over Europe after triumphing at the Battle of Wagram.

Hoping to extend the Continental System, his embargo against Britain, Napoleon invaded the Iberian Peninsula and declared his brother Joseph the King of Spain in 1808. The Spanish and the Portuguese revolted in the Peninsular War aided by a British army, culminating in defeat for Napoleon’s marshals. Napoleon launched an invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. The resulting campaign witnessed the catastrophic retreat of Napoleon’s Grande Armée.

In 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russian forces in a Sixth Coalition against France, resulting in a large coalition army defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig. The coalition invaded France and captured Paris, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April 1814. He was exiled to the island of Elba, between Corsica and Italy. In France, the Bourbons were restored to power. Napoleon escaped in February 1815 and took control of France. The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition, which defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.

The British exiled him to the remote island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic, where he died in 1821 at the age of 51. Napoleon had a lasting impact on the world, bringing modernizing reforms to France and Western Europe[d] and stimulating the development of nation states. He also sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States in 1803, doubling the size of the United States. However, his mixed record on civil rights and exploitation of conquered territories adversely affect his reputation.

Some of the best quotes from best quotes from Napoleon Bonaparte are listed below.

1. “A beautiful woman like eyes, and a good heart; One is a beautiful thing, and other treasures.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
2. “A book in which there were no lies would be a curiosity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
3. “A Constitution should be short and obscure.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
4. “A faithful friend is the true image of the Deity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
5. “A general must be a charlatan.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
6. “A general-in-chief should ask himself several times in the day, what if the enemy were to appear now in my front, or on my right, or my left?” – Napoleon Bonaparte
7. “A great people may be killed, but they cannot be intimidated.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
8. “A great reputation is a great noise, the more there is of it, and the further does it swell. Land, monuments, Nations, all fall, but the noise remains, and will reach to other generations.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
9. “A journalist is a grumbler, a censurer, a giver of advice, a regent of sovereigns, a tutor of nations. Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
10. “A King should sacrifice the best affections of his heart for the good of his country; no sacrifice should be above his determination.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
11. “A leader has the right to be beaten, but never the right to be surprised.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
12. “A leader is a dealer in hope.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
13. “A man becomes the creature of his uniform.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
14. “A man cannot become an atheist merely by wishing it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
15. “A man is known by his conduct to his wife, to his family, and to those under him.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
16. “A man is not dependent upon his fellow creature, when he does not fear death.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
17. “A man like me troubles himself little about a million men.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
18. “A man made for public life and authority never takes account of personalities; he only takes account of things, of their weight and their consequences.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
19. “A man who has no consideration for the needs of his men ought never to be given command.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
20. “A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights. Men are moved by only two mechanisms: fear and self-interest. Victory belongs to the most persevering.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
21. “A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
22. “A people that is able to say everything, becomes able to do everything. The crowd which follows me with admiration, would run with the same eagerness were I marching to the Guillotine.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
23. “A people which is able to say everything becomes able to do everything.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
24. “A picture is worth a thousand words.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
25. “A revolution can be neither made nor stopped. The only thing that can be done is for one of several of its children to give it a direction by dint of victories.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
26. “A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
27. “A society without religion is like a vessel without compass.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
28. “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
29. “A starving army is actually worse than none.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
30. “A throne is only a bench covered with velvet.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
31. “A true man hates no one.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
32. “A true master of politics is able to calculate, down to the smallest fraction, the advantages to which he may put his very faults.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
33. “A well-composed song strikes the mind and softens the feelings, and produces a greater effect than a moral work, which convinces our reason, but does not warm our feelings, nor effect the slightest alteration in our habits.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
34. “A woman laughing is a woman conquered.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
35. “Ability is nothing without opportunity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
36. “Ability is of little account without opportunity. I have very rarely met with two o’clock in the morning courage: I mean instantaneous courage.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
37. “Adversity is the midwife of genius.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
38. “After making a mistake or suffering a misfortune, the man of genius always gets back on his feet.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
39. “After me, the Revolution – or, rather the ideas which formed it – will resume their course. It will be like a book from which the marker is removed, and one starts to read again at the page where one left off.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
40. “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
41. “Alexander, Charlemagne and myself all tried to found an empire on force and we failed. Jesus Christ is building an empire on love, and today there are millions of people who would gladly die for His sake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
42. “All great events hang by a single thread. The clever man takes advantage of everything, neglects nothing that may give him some added opportunity; the less clever man, by neglecting one thing, sometimes misses everything.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
43. “All Italians are plunderers.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
44. “All men of genius, and all those who have gained rank in the republic of letters, are brothers, whatever may be the land of their nativity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
45. “All the scholastic scaffolding falls, as a ruined edifice, before a single word: faith.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
46. “All the women in the world would not make me lose an hour.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
47. “America is a fortunate country. She grows by the follies of our European nations.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
48. “Among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
49. “An aristocracy is the true support of a monarchy.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
50. “An army marches on its stomach.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
51. “An army of lions commanded by a deer will never be an army of lions.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
52. “An army’s effectiveness depends on its size, training, experience, and morale, and morale is worth more than any of the other factors combined.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
53. “An Emperor confides in national soldiers, not in mercenaries.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
54. “An empty throne always tempts me.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
55. “An order that can be misunderstood, will be misunderstood.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
56. “An urgent missive sent to Josephine Home in three days. Don’t wash.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
57. “Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
58. “Artillery is more essential to cavalry than to infantry, because cavalry has no fire for its defence, but depends on the sabre.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
59. “As for me, to love you alone, to make you happy, to do nothing which would contradict your wishes, this is my destiny and the meaning of my life.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
60. “Audacity succeeds as often as it fails; in life it has an even chance.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
61. “Battles are lost or won in 15 minutes.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
62. “Being in the Tuileries is not everything: what matters is to stay here.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
63. “Better to have a known enemy than a forced ally.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
64. “Between a battle lost and a battle won, the distance is immense and there stand empires.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
65. “Bloodletting is among the ingredients of political medicine.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
66. “Cavalry is useful before, during, and after the battle.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
67. “Champagne! In victory, one deserves it; in defeat one needs it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
68. “Character is victory organized.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
69. “Charges of cavalry are equally useful at the beginning, the middle and the end of a battle. They should be made always, if possible, on the flanks of the infantry, especially when the latter is engaged in front.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
70. “Chess is too difficult to be a game and not serious enough to be a science or an art.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
71. “Circumstances-what are circumstances? I make circumstances.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
72. “Clearly, the pleasures wines afford are transitory – but so are those of the ballet, or of a musical performance. Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
73. “Collective crimes incriminate no one.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
74. “Conquest has made me what I am, only conquest can maintain me.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
75. “Conscription is the vitality of a nation, the purification of its morality, and the real foundations of all its habits.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
76. “Cossacks are the best light troops among all that exist. If I had them in my army, I would go through all the world with them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
77. “Courage cannot be counterfeited. It is one virtue that escapes hypocrisy.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
78. “Courage is like love, it must have hope for nourishment.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
79. “Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
80. “Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
81. “Democracy, if it is reasonable, limits itself to giving everyone an equal opportunity to compete and to obtain.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
82. “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 Bonaparte
83. “Die young, and I shall accept your death-but not if you have lived without glory, without being useful to your country, without leaving a trace of your existence: for that is not to have lived at all.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
84. “Diplomacy is the police in grand costume.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
85. “Do you know what amazes me more than anything else? The impotence of force to organize anything.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
86. “Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
87. “England would be better off without Canada; it keeps her in a prepared state for war at a great expense and constant irritation.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
88. “Envy is a declaration of inferiority.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
89. “Equality should be the chief basis of the education of youth.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
90. “Europe is a molehill. All great empires and revolutions have been on the Orient; six hundred millions live there.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
91. “Europe thus divided into nationalities freely formed and free internally, peace between States would have become easier: the United States of Europe would become a possibility.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
92. “Even when I am gone, I shall remain in people’s minds the star of their rights, my name will be the war cry of their efforts, the motto of their hopes.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
93. “Every beggar shall be arrested. But to arrest a beggar merely in order to put him in jail would be barbarous and absurd. He should be arrested for the sole purpose of teaching him how to earn a living by his work.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
94. “Every hour of lost time is a chance of future misfortune.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
95. “Every private in the French army carries a Field Marshall wand in his knapsack.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
96. “Flatterers and men of learning do not accord well with each other.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
97. “For the stability of the Government, the people should have a considerable voice in the elections.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
98. “Force is the law of animals, men are ruled by conviction.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
99. “Forethought we may have, undoubtedly, but not foresight.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
100. “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
101. “France has more need of me than I have need of France.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
102. “France needs nothing so much to promote her regeneration as good mothers.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
103. “Friends must always be treated as if one day they might be enemies.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
104. “Friendship is but a name. I love no one.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
105. “From first to last, Jesus is the same; always the same – majestic and simple, infinitely severe and infinitely gentle.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
106. “From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
107. “From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
108. “From triumph to downfall there is but one step. I have noted that, in the most momentous occasions, mere nothings have always decided the outcome of the greatest events.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
109. “Give Me a Turkish Army. I will Conquer world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
110. “Give me an educated mother, I shall promise you the birth of a civilized, educated nation.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
111. “Give me enough medals and I’ll win you any war.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
112. “Give me enough ribbons to place on the tunics of my soldiers and I can conquer the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
113. “Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
114. “Go Sir, gallop and don’t forget that the world was made in six days. You can ask me for anything but not time.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
115. “God has decreed that there be sick and poor in this world, but in the next it will be the other way around.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
116. “God has given me the will and the force to overcome all obstacles.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
117. “God is on the side of the heaviest cannon.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
118. “God! How men of letters are stupid.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
119. “Good and decent people must be protected and persuaded by gentle means, but the rabble must be led by terror.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
120. “Good infantry is without doubt the sinews of an army; but if it has to fight a long time against very superior artillery, it will become demoralized and will be destroyed.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
121. “Good intelligence is nine-tenths of any battle.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
122. “Governments keep their promises only when they are forced, or when it is to their advantage to do so.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
123. “Great ambition is the passion of a great character.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
124. “Great battles are won with artillery.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
125. “Great men are meteors designed to burn so that earth may be lighted.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
126. “Great men are never cruel without necessity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
127. “Great men grow tired of contentedness.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
128. “Greatness be nothing unless it be lasting.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
129. “Half of the people in the world are below average.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
130. “He who cannot look over a battlefield with a dry eye, causes the death of many men uselessly.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
131. “He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
132. “He who is unmoved by tears has no heart.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
133. “He who knows how to flatter also knows how to slander.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
134. “Here, Gentlemen, a dog teaches us a lesson in humanity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
135. “Hereditary succession to the magistracy is absurd, as it tends to make a property of it; it is incompatible with the sovereignty of the people.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
136. “History is a set of lies agreed upon.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
137. “History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
138. “History is written by the winners.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
139. “History paints the human heart.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
140. “How can you have order in a state without religion? For, when one man is dying of hunger near another who is ill of surfeit, he cannot resign himself to this difference unless there is an authority which declares ‘God wills it thus.’ Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
141. “How many things apparently impossible have nevertheless been performed by resolute men who had no alternative but death.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
142. “I am a monarch of God’s creation, and you reptiles of the earth dare not oppose me. I render an account of my government to none save God and Jesus Christ.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
143. “I am conquered less by fortune than by the egotism and ingratitude of my companions in arms.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
144. “I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one or the other.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
145. “I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world, and yet they lay their hands on everything they can get.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
146. “I am the signet which marks the page where the revolution has been stopped; but when I die it will turn the page and resume its course.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
147. “I am the successor, not of Louis XVI, but of Charlemagne.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
148. “I base my calculation on the expectation that luck will be against me.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
149. “I believe love to be hurtful to society, and to the individual happiness of men. I believe, in short, that love does more harm than good.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
150. “I can no longer obey; I have tasted command, and I cannot give it up.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
151. “I do not amuse myself by thinking of dead people.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
152. “I do not believe it is in our nature to love impartially. We deceive ourselves when we think we can love two beings, even our own children, equally. There is always a dominant affection.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
153. “I engage and after that I see what to do.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
154. “I feel myself driven towards an end that I do not know. As soon as I shall have reached it, as soon as I shall become unnecessary, an atom will suffice to shatter me. Till then, not all the forces of mankind can do anything against me.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
155. “I have come to realise that men are not born to be free.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
156. “I have destroyed the enemy merely by marches.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
157. “I have fought sixty battles, and I have learnt nothing which I did not know at the beginning.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
158. “I have made all the calculations; fate will do the rest.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
159. “I have never loved anyone for love’s sake except, perhaps, Josephine – a little.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
160. “I have only one counsel for you – be master.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
161. “I have seen only yoU, I have admired only yoU, I desire only You.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
162. “I have so often been mistaken that I no longer blush for it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
163. “I haven’t known 6 days of happiness in my life.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
164. “I hope before long to press you in my arms and shall shower on you a million burning kisses as under the Equator.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
165. “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 Bonaparte
166. “I know he’s a good general, but is he lucky?” – Napoleon Bonaparte
167. “I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires, and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of infinity…” – Napoleon Bonaparte
168. “I love a brave soldier who has undergone the baptism of fire.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
169. “I love power. But it is as an artist that I love it. I love it as a musician loves his violin, to draw out its sounds and chords and harmonies.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
170. “I made all my generals out of mud.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
171. “I make my battle plans from the spirit of my sleeping soldiers.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
172. “I marvel that whereas the ambitious dreams of my self, Caesar, and Alexander should have vanished into thin air, a Judean peasant-Jesus-s hould be able to stretch His hands across the centuries and control the destinies of men and nations.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
173. “I may lose a battle but I will never lose a minute.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
174. “I saw the crown of France laying on the ground, so I picked it up with my sword.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
175. “I see only my objective – the obstacles must give way.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
176. “I shall be an Attila to Venice.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
177. “I start out by believing the worst.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
178. “I tell you Wellington is a bad general, the English are bad soldiers; we will settle this matter by lunch time.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
179. “I want the whole of Europe to have one currency; it will make trading much easier.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
180. “I wish I could take a raincheck on June 18.1815.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
181. “I would believe any religion that could prove it had existed since the beginning of the world. But when I see Socrates, Plato, Moses, and Mohammed I do not think there is such a one. All religions owe their origin to man.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
182. “I would rather have a general who was lucky than one who was good.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
183. “I would rather suffer with coffee than be senseless.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
184. “If fifty thousand men were to die for the good of the State, I certainly would weep for them, but political necessity comes before everything else.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
185. “If I always appear prepared, it is because before entering an undertaking, I have meditated long and have foreseen what might occur. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly and secretly what I should do in circumstances unexpected by others; it is thought and preparation.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
186. “If I had not been defeated in Acre against Jezzar Pasha of Turk. I would conquer all of the East.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
187. “If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
188. “If I were an Englishman, I should esteem the man who advised a war with China to be the greatest living enemy of my country. You would be beaten in the end, and perhaps a revolution in India would follow.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
189. “If I were to give liberty to the press, my power could not last three days.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
190. “If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
191. “If you build an army of 100 lions and their leader is a dog, in any fight, the lions will die like a dog. But if you build an army of 100 dogs and their leader is a lion, all dogs will fight as a lion.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
192. “If you know a country’s geography, you can understand and predict its foreign policy.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
193. “If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less inhuman.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
194. “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
195. “If you want to get on in this world make many promises, but don’t keep them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
196. “If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
197. “Imagination governs the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
198. “Immortality is the best recollection one leaves.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
199. “Impatience is a great obstacle to success; he who treats everything with brusqueness gathers nothing, or only immature fruit which will never ripen.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
200. “Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
201. “Impossible is the word found only in a fool’s dictionary. Wise people create opportunities for themselves and make everything possible…” – Napoleon Bonaparte
202. “In a great nation, the majority are incapable of judging wisely of things.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
203. “In our time no one has the conception of what is great. It is up to me to show them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
204. “In politics nothing is immutable. Events carry within them an invincible power. The unwise destroy themselves in resistance. The skillful accept events, take strong hold of them and direct them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
205. “In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
206. “In revolution there are only two sorts of men, those who cause them and those who profit by them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
207. “In Russia there are no roads – only areas.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
208. “In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
209. “In time of revolution, with perseverance and courage, a soldier should think nothing impossible.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
210. “In war as in love, to bring matters to a close, you must get close together.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
211. “In war it is not men, but the man who counts.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
212. “In war the simplest manoeuvres are the best.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
213. “In war there is but one favorable moment; the great art is to seize it!” – Napoleon Bonaparte
214. “In war, as in love, we must come into contact before we triumph.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
215. “In war, as in politics, no evil – even if it is permissible under the rules – is excusable unless it is absolutely necessary. Everything beyond that is a crime.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
216. “In war, as in prostitution, amateurs are often better than professionals.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
217. “In war, men are nothing, one man is everything.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
218. “In war, the general alone can judge of certain arrangements. It depends on him alone to conquer difficulties by his own superior talents and resolution.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
219. “In war, the moral is to the physical as three is to one.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
220. “In war, three-quarters turns on personal character and relations; the balance of manpower and materials counts only for the remaining quarter.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
221. “Independence, like honor, is a rocky island, without a beach.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
222. “Insubordination may only be the evidence of a strong mind.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
223. “International incidents must not be allowed to shape foreign policy, foreign policy must shape the incidents.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
224. “It follows that any commander in chief who undertakes to carry out a plan which he considers defective is at fault; he must put forth his reasons, insist on the plan being changed, and finally tender his resignation rather than be the instrument of h.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
225. “It is a mistake, too, to say that the face is the mirror of the soul. The truth is, men are very hard to know, and yet, not to be deceived, we must judge them by their present actions, but for the present only.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
226. “It is an approved maxim in war, never to do what the enemy wishes you to do, for this reason alone, that he desires it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
227. “It is cowardice to commit suicide.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
228. “It is cowardly to commit suicide. The English often kill themselves. It is a malady caused by the humid climate.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
229. “It is exceptional and difficult to find in one man all the qualities necessary for a great general.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
230. “It is in times of difficulty that great nations like great men display the whole energy of their character and become an object of admiration to posterity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
231. “It is neither holy, Roman or an empire.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
232. “It is not necessary to bury the truth. It is sufficient merely to delay it until nobody cares.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
233. “It is often in the audacity, in the steadfastness, of the general that the safety and the conservation of his men is found.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
234. “It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
235. “It is the success which makes great men.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
236. “It is with artillery that war is made.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
237. “It requires more courage to suffer than to die.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
238. “It should not be believed that a march of three or four days in the wrong direction can be corrected by a countermarch. As a rule, this is to make two mistakes instead of one.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
239. “It strengthens the bonds between nations to have the same civil laws and the same monetary system.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
240. “It would be a joke if the conduct of the victor had to be justified to the vanquished.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
241. “It’s not the size of the army but the power within the army.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
242. “It’s the people who are in the wrong who get angry.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
243. “It’s the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
244. “Jesus Chris was more than man.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
245. “Lack is more in means, than in principles.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
246. “Laws which are consistent in theory often prove chaotic in practice.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
247. “Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
248. “Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
249. “Let the path be open to talent.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
250. “Liberty and equality are magical words.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
251. “Lies circle the earth while Truth is still trying to put on its shoes.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
252. “Love is the idler’s occupation, the warrior’s relaxation, and the sovereign’s ruination.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
253. “Love is the occupation of the idle man, the amusement of a busy one, and the shipwreck of a sovereign.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
254. “Machiavelli is right: one always must live with one’s friends with the idea that they may turn into one’s enemies. He should have said, with everyone.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
255. “Man is entitled by birthright to a share of the earth’s produce sufficient to fill the needs of his existence.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
256. “Man loves the marvelous. It has an irresistible charm for him. He is always ready to leave that with which he is familiar to pursue vain inventions. He lends himself to his own deception.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
257. “Man will believe anything, as long as it’s not in the bible.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
258. “Man, not men, is the most important consideration.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
259. “Mankind’s worst enemy is fear of work.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
260. “Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
261. “Men are Moved by two levers only: fear and self interest.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
262. “Men are ruled by toys.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
263. “Men of genius are meteors destined to burn themselves out in lighting up their age.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
264. “Men will risk their lives, even die for ribbons.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
265. “More glorious to merit a sceptre than to possess one.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
266. “Moses has revealed the existence of God to his nation. Jesus Christ to the Roman world, Muhammad to the old continent…” – Napoleon Bonaparte
267. “Music is what tell us that the human race is greater than we realize.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
268. “Music, of all the liberal arts, has the greatest influence over the passions, and it is that to which the legislator ought to give the greatest encouragement.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
269. “My business is to succeed, and I’m good at it. I create my Iliad by my actions, create it day by day.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
270. “My downfall raises me to infinite heights.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
271. “My enemies make appointments at my tomb.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
272. “My star was fading, I felt the reins slipping out of my grasp, and could do nothing to stop it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
273. “My success and everything good that I have done, I owe to my mother.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
274. “Nature intended women to be our slaves. They are our property.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
275. “Neglect of duty does not cease, by repetition, to be neglect of duty.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
276. “Never ascribe to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
277. “Never awake me when you have good news to announce, because with good news nothing presses; but when you have bad news, arouse me immediately, for then there is not an instant to be lost.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
278. “Never interfere with an enemy in the process of destroying himself.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
279. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
280. “Never lose sight of this maxim, that you should establish your cantonments at the most distant and best protected point from the enemy, especially where a surprise is possible. By this means you will have time to unite all your forces before he can attack you.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
281. “No amount of money will induce someone to lay down their life, but they will gladly do so for a bit of yellow ribbon.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
282. “No one but myself can be blamed for my fall. I have been my own greatest enemy-the cause of my own disastrous fate.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
283. “Nothing is lost as long as courage remains.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
284. “Nothing is more arrogant than the weakness which feels itself supported by power.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
285. “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
286. “Nothing is so important in war as an undivided command.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
287. “Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
288. “Obedience to public authority ought not to be based either on ignorance or stupidity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
289. “Of all the peoples of Europe, Spaniards disgust me the least.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
290. “Oh well, no matter what happens, there’s always death.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
291. “One bad general is worth two good ones.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
292. “One might as well try to charge through a wall.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
293. “One must change one’s tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one’s superiority.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
294. “One must learn to forgive and not to hold a hostile, bitter attitude of mind, which offends those about us and prevents us from enjoying ourselves. One must recognize human shortcomings and adjust himself to them rather than to be constantly finding fault with them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
295. “Order marches with weighty and measured strides. Disorder is always in a hurry.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
296. “Ordinary men died, men of iron were taken prisoner: I only brought back with me men of bronze.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
297. “Our hour is marked, and no one can claim a moment of life beyond what fate has predestined.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
298. “Over-preparation is the foe of inspiration.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
299. “Passionate people invariably deny their anger, and cowards often boast their ignorance of fear.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
300. “Patriotism is a word which represents a noble idea.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
301. “People take England on trust, and repeat that Shakespeare is the greatest of all authors. I have read him: there is nothing that compares Racine or Corneille: his plays are unreadable, pitiful.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
302. “Peoples of Egypt, you will be told that I have come to destroy your religion. Do not believe it! Reply that I have come to restore your rights!” – Napoleon Bonaparte
303. “Posterity will talk of Washington as the founder of a great empire, when my name shall be lost in the vortex of revolution.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
304. “Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
305. “Power is what they like – it is the greatest of all aphrodisiacs.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
306. “Prussia was hatched from a cannon-ball.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
307. “Public instruction should be the first object of government.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
308. “Public morals are natural complement of all laws they are by themselves an entire code.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
309. “Public opinion is a mysterious and invisible power, to which everything must yield. There is nothing more fickle, more vague, or more powerful; yet capricious as it is, it is nevertheless much more often true, reasonable, and just, than we imagine.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
310. “Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly consult.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
311. “Put a rogue in the limelight and he will act like an honest man.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
312. “Put your iron hand in a velvet glove.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
313. “Rascality has limits; stupidity has not.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
314. “Reconnaissance memoranda should always be written in the simplest style and be purely descriptive. They should never stray from their objective by introducing extraneous ideas.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
315. “Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
316. “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 Bonaparte
317. “Remember that a man, a true man, never hates. His rages and his bad moods never last beyond the present moment-like electric shocks.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
318. “Remember, gentlemen, what a Roman emperor said: The corpse of an enemy always smells sweet.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
319. “Reprisals are but a sad resource.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
320. “Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
321. “Secrets travel fast in Paris.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
322. “Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
323. “Sire, I am my own Rudolph of Hapsburg.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
324. “Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
325. “Soldiers! Forty centuries behold you!” – Napoleon Bonaparte
326. “Soldiers! Here is the battle you have so long desired! Henceforth victory depends on you; we have need of it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
327. “Soldiers, forty centuries are looking down upon you from these pyramids.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
328. “Space we can recover; time never.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
329. “Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. To become a good man, one must have faithful friends, or outright enemies.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
330. “Strategy is the art of making use of time and space. I am less concerned about the later than the former. Space we can recover, lost time never.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
331. “Strong coffee, much strong coffee, is what awakens me. Coffee gives me warmth, waking, an unusual force and a pain that is not without very great pleasure.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
332. “Success is the most convincing talker in the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
333. “Surely in a matter of this kind we should endeavor to do something, that we may say that we have not lived in vain, that we may leave some impress of ourselves on the sands of time.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
334. “Take a dose of medicine once, and in all probability you will be obliged to take an additional hundred afterwards.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
335. “Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action comes, stop thinking and go in.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
336. “Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
337. “That man made me miss my destiny.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
338. “The advance and perfecting of mathematics are closely joined to the prosperity of the nation.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
339. “The affairs of war, like the destiny of battles, as well as empires, hang upon a spiders thread.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
340. “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 Bonaparte
341. “The allies we gain by victory will turn against us upon the bare whisper of our defeat.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
342. “The amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
343. “The art of being sometimes audacious and sometimes very prudent is the secret of success.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
344. “The art of choosing men is not nearly so difficult as the art of enabling those chosen to attain their full worth.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
345. “The art of land warfare is an art of genius, of inspiration. On the sea nothing is genius or inspiration; everything is positive or empiric.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
346. “The art of war is to gain time when your strength is inferior.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
347. “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.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
348. “The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
349. “The bayonet has always been the weapon of the brave and the chief tool of victory.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
350. “The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
351. “The best generals are those who have served in the artillery.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
352. “The best medicine against the grapes of wrath is a whiff of grapeshot.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
353. “The best way to keep one’s word is not to give it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
354. “The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
355. “The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
356. “The Concordat is not the victory of any one party but the consolidation of all.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
357. “The extent of your consciousness is limited only by your ability to love and to embrace with your love the space around you, and all it contains.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
358. “The fate of a battle is the result of a moment, of a thought: the hostile forces advance with various combinations, they attack each other and fight for a certain time; the critical moment arrives, a mental flash decides, and the least reserve accomplishes the object.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
359. “The fate of a Nation may sometimes depend upon the position of a fortress.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
360. “The first method is that of a schemer and leads only to mediocre results; the other method is the path of genius and changes the face of the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
361. “The first quality of a soldier is constancy in enduring fatigue and hardship. Courage is only the second. Poverty privation and want are the school of the good soldier.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
362. “The first quality of the commander-in-chief is a cool head to receive a correct impression of things. He should not allow himself to be confused by either good or bad news.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
363. “The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
364. “The fool has one great advantage over a man of sense; he is always satisfied with himself.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
365. “The French complain of everything, and always.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
366. “The future destiny of a child is always the work of the mother.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
367. “The great proof of madness is the disproportion of one’s designs to one’s means.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
368. “The greatest danger occurs at the moment of victory.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
369. “The greatest general is he who makes the fewest mistakes.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
370. “The greatest ornament of an illustrious life is modesty and humility, which go a great way in the character even of the most exalted princes.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
371. “The hand that gives is among the hand that takes. Money has no fatherland, financiers are without patriotism and without decency, their sole object is gain.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
372. “The heart may be broken, and the soul remain unshaken.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
373. “The heart of a statesman should be in his head.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
374. “The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence; and the great welcome them out of vanity or need.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
375. “The infectiousness of crime is like that of the plague.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
376. “The Jews are the master robbers of the modern age.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
377. “The keys of a fortress are always well worth the retirement of the garrison when it is resolved to yield only on those conditions. On this principle it is always wiser to grant an honorable capitulation to a garrison which has made a vigorous resistance than to risk an assault.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
378. “The laws of circumstance are abolished by new circumstances.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
379. “The leader’s role is to define reality, then give hope.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
380. “The logical end to defensive warfare is surrender.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
381. “The Mohammedan religion is the finest of all.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
382. “The more I study the world, the more I am convinced of the inability of brute force to create anything durable.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
383. “The most constant, the most powerful, and the most generous of all my enemies.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
384. “The most terrible of all my battles was the one before Moscow. The French showed themselves to be worthy of victory, but the Russians showed themselves worthy of being invincible.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
385. “The object of war is victory, the object of victory is conquest, and the object of conquest is occupation.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
386. “The only conquests that are permanent and leave no regrets are our conquests over ourselves.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
387. “The only one who is wiser than anyone is everyone.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
388. “The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
389. “The only victory over love is flight.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
390. “The only way to lead people is to show them a future: a leader is a dealer in hope.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
391. “The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree with you and are too cowardly to let you know.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
392. “The policies of all powers are inherent in their geography.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
393. “The poor man commands respect; the beggar must always excite anger.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
394. “The process of quitting smoking doesn’t end with the last cigarette. It’s not quitting itself, the real key is staying quit.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
395. “The purely defensive is doomed to defeat.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
396. “The purpose of religion is to keep the poor from killing the rich.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
397. “The reason I beat the Austrians is, they did not known the value of five minutes.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
398. “The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
399. “The secret of war lies in the communications.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
400. “The sovereignty of the people is inalienable.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
401. “The strong are good, only the weak are wicked.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
402. “The strong man is the one who is able to intercept at will the communication between the senses and the mind.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
403. “The stupid speak of the past, the wise of the present, and fools of the future.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
404. “The superior man is never in anyone’s way.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
405. “The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to destiny.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
406. “The transition from the defensive to the offensive is one of the most delicate operations in war.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
407. “The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
408. “The word impossible is not in my dictionary.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
409. “The World is not ruined by the wickedness of the wicked, but by the weakness of the good.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
410. “The world suffers a lot. Not because the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of the good people.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
411. “The worse the man the better the soldier. If soldiers be not corrupt they ought to be made so.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
412. “There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
413. “There are certain things in war of which the commander alone comprehends the importance. Nothing but his superior firmness and ability can subdue and surmount all difficulties.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
414. “There are in Europe many good generals, but they see too many things at once. I see one thing, namely the enemy’s main body. I try to crush it, confident that secondary matters will then settle themselves.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
415. “There are only two forces that unite men – fear and interest. All great revolutions originate in fear, for the play of interests does not lead to accomplishment.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
416. “There are so many laws that no one is safe from hanging.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
417. “There are two kinds of fidelity, that of dogs and that of cats; you, gentleman, have the fidelity of cats who never leave the house.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
418. “There are two levers for moving men – interest and fear.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
419. “There is a joy in danger.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
420. “There is no place in a fanatic’s head where reason can enter.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
421. “There is no such thing as an accident, only a failure to recognise the hand of fate.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
422. “There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
423. “There is only one thing in this world, and that is to keep acquiring money and more money, power and more power. All the rest is meaningless.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
424. “There shall be no Alps.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
425. “They wanted me to be a Washington.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
426. “This accession of territory affirms forever the power of the United States, and I have given England a maritime rival who sooner or later will humble her pride.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
427. “Those who are free from common prejudices acquire others.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
428. “Those who failed to oppose me, who readily agreed with me and accepted all my views, were those who did me the most injury.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
429. “Those who have changed the universe have never done it by changing officials, but always by inspiring the people.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
430. “Throw off your worries when you throw off your clothes at night.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
431. “Tis a principle of war that when you can use the lightning, ’tis better than cannon.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
432. “To a father who loves his children victor has no charms. When the heart speaks, glory itself is an illusion.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
433. “To be believed make the truth unbelievable.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
434. “To do all that one is able to do, is to be a man; to do all that one would like to do, is to be a god.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
435. “To extraordinary circumstance we must apply extraordinary remedies.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
436. “To have good soldiers, a nation must always be at war.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
437. “To live, is to suffer; and the honest man is always fighting to be master of his own mind.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
438. “To negotiate is not to do as one likes.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
439. “To understand the man you have to know what was happening in the world when he was twenty.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
440. “To write history one must be more than a man, since the author who holds the pen of this great justiciary must be free from all preoccupation of interest or vanity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
441. “Treason is a matter of dates.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
442. “True character stands the test of emergencies. Do not be mistaken, it is weakness from which the awakening is rude.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
443. “True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
444. “True heroism consists in rising superior to misfortune.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
445. “Un croquis vaut mieux qu.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
446. “Unavailable wars are always just.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
447. “Unity of command is essential to the economy of time. Warfare in the field was like a siege: by directing all one’s force to a single point a breach might be made, and the equilibrium of opposition destroyed.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
448. “Until then, mio dolce amor, a thousand kisses; but give me none in return, for they set my blood on fire.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
449. “Until you spread your wings, you’ll have no idea how far you can fly.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
450. “Variety made the Revolution. Liberty was just a pretext.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
451. “Victory belongs to the most persevering.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
452. “War is a lottery in which nations ought to risk nothing but small amounts.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
453. “War is cruel to the people, and terrible to the conquered.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
454. “War is ninety percent information.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
455. “War is the business of barbarians.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
456. “War justifies everything.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
457. “War must be made as intense and awful as possible in order to make it short, and thus to diminish its horrors.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
458. “Water, air, and cleanness are the chief articles in my pharmacy.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
459. “We are born, we live, we die among supernatural.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
460. “We are either kings or pawns of men.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
461. “We frustrate many designs against us by pretending not to see them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
462. “We live and die in the midst of marvels.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
463. “We must laugh at man to avoid crying for him.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
464. “We must serve the people worthily, and not occupy ourselves in trying to please them. The best way, to gain their affections is to do them good.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
465. “We often get in quicker by the back door than by the front.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
466. “We walk faster when we walk alone.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
467. “What a beautiful fix we are in now; peace has been declared.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
468. “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 Bonaparte
469. “What is a throne? – a bit of wood gilded and covered in velvet. I am the state- I alone am here the representative of the people. Even if I had done wrong you should not have reproached me in public – people wash their dirty linen at home. France has more need of me than I of France.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
470. “What is the future? What is the past? What are we? What is the magic fluid that surrounds us and conceals the things we most need to know? We live and die in the midst of marvels.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
471. “What is the government? Nothing, unless supported by opinion.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
472. “What my enemies call a general peace is my destruction. What I call peace is merely the disarmament of my enemies. Am I not more moderate than they?” – Napoleon Bonaparte
473. “Whatever misanthropists may say, ingrates and the perverse are exceptions in the human species.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
474. “Whatever shall we do in that remote spot? Well, we will write our memoirs. Work is the scythe of time.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
475. “When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they and not the leaders of the government control the situation.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
476. “When firmness is sufficient, rashness is unnecessary.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
477. “When I want any, good head work done; I always choose a man, if possible with a long nose.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
478. “When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
479. “When soldiers have been baptized in the fire of a battle-field, they have all one rank in my eyes.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
480. “When you determine to risk a battle, reserve to yourself every possible chance of success, more particularly if you have to deal with an adversary of superior talent, for if you are beaten, even in the midst of your magazines and your communications, woe to the vanquished!” – Napoleon Bonaparte
481. “When you set out to take Vienna, take Vienna.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
482. “When your enemy is doing something wrong, do not interrupt him.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
483. “Where the Government is weak, military sway prevails.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
484. “Wherever wood can swim, there I am sure to find this flag of England.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
485. “Which is heavier: a soldier’s pack or a slave’s chains?” – Napoleon Bonaparte
486. “Who saves his country violates no law.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
487. “Why and how are words so important that they cannot be too often used.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
488. “Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
489. “Wisdom and policy dictate that we must do as destiny demands and keep peace with the irresistible march of events.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
490. “Without cavalry, battles are without result.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
491. “Women are nothing but machines for producing children.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
492. “You become strong by defying defeat and by turning loss into gain and failure to success.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
493. “You can do anything with bayonets except sit on them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
494. “You can not lead a battle if you think you look silly on a horse.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
495. “You cannot stop me; I spend thirty thousand men a month.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
496. “You don’t reason with intellectuals. You shoot them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
497. “You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy’s ranks.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
498. “You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
499. “You would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bonfire under her decks? I have no time for such nonsense.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
500. “You write to me that it’s impossible. The word is not French.” – Napoleon Bonaparte