Bonaparte, Napoleon quotes
1769-1821 French General EmperorIf you want a thing done well, do it yourself.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Control
I have only one counsel for you -- be master.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Control
A Constitution should be short and obscure.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Constitutions
The conscience is the sacred haven of the liberty of man.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Conscience
Character is victory organized.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Character
You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your tricks of war.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Competition
The future destiny of the child is always the work of the mother.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Future
Do you wish to find out the really sublime? Repeat the Lord s Prayer.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Christians and Christianity
Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Decisions
You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy s ranks.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Death and Dying
Let the path be open to talent.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Direction
Chance is the providence of adventurers.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Chance
The torment of precautions often exceeds often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one s self to destiny.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Caution
The strong man is the one who is able to intercept at will the communication between the senses and the mind.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Control
There is no place in a fanatic s head where reason can enter.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Fanatics and Fanaticism
A people which is able to say everything becomes able to do everything.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Freedom of Speech
My downfall raises me to infinite heights.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Failure
Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Impossibility
The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence; and the great welcome them out of vanity or need.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Greatness
The art of government is not to let me grow stale.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Government
From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
History and Historians
Great people are meteors designed to burn so that the earth may be lighted.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Greatness
True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Heroes and Heroism
If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon-shots.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Peace
Public instruction should be the first object of government.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Government
Large legislative bodies resolve themselves into coteries, and coteries into jealousies.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Government
I made all my generals out of mud.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Generals
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Glory
Greatness be nothing unless it be lasting.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Greatness
The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Medicine
The human race is governed by its imagination.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Imagination
Water, air, and cleanness are the chief articles in my pharmacy.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Medicine
The only victory over love is flight.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Love
When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Mediocrity
The great proof of madness is the disproportion of one s designs to one s means.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Insanity
Medicines are only fit for old people.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Medicine
Medicine is a collection of uncertain prescriptions, the results of which, taken collectively, are more fatal than useful to mankind.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Medicine
Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Jesus Christ
It is the cause, not the death that makes the martyr.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Martyrdom
A leader is a dealer in hope.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Leaders and Leadership
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.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Power
Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Power
Imagination rules the world.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Imagination
When firmness is sufficient, rashness is unnecessary.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Leaders and Leadership
Men are lead by trifles.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Leaders and Leadership
Every private in the French army carries a Field Marshall wand in his knapsack.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Leaders and Leadership
An order that can be misunderstood will be misunderstood.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Leaders and Leadership
There is no class of people so hard to manage in a state, as those whose intentions are honest, but whose consciences are bewitched.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Management
Ten persons who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Power
We must laugh at man to avoid crying for him.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Humor
Incidents should not govern policy; but, policy incidents.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Management
There are two levers for moving men -- interest and fear.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Motivation
The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Poverty and The Poor
In politics... never retreat, never retract... never admit a mistake.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Politicians and Politics
In politics, an absurdity is not a handicap.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Politicians and Politics
The French complain of everything, and always.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Nations
Do you know what amazes me more than anything else? The impotence of force to organize anything.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Organization
Music of all the arts has the most influence on the passions and the legislator should give it the greatest encouragement.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Music
A true man hates no one.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Men
Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Mothers
One must change one s tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one s superiority.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Strategies
Occupation is the scythe of time.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Occupation
If you wish to be success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Promises
Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Newspapers
Who saves his country violates no law.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Patriotism
Among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Oppression
In politics, an absurdity in public business is going into it.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Politicians and Politics
The art of the police is not to see what it is useless that it should see.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Police
Order marches with weighty and measured strides. Disorder is always in a hurry.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Order
The best way to keep one s word is not to give it.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Promises
With audacity one can undertake anything, but not do everything.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Risk
The most insupportable of tyrannies is that of inferiors.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Tyranny
There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Spirit and Spirituality
Truth alone wounds.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Truth
Respect the burden.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Respectability
A man s palate can, in time, become accustomed to anything.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Taste
A throne is only a bench covered with velvet.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Royalty
Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly consult.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Public Opinion
Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Riches
Secrets travel fast in Paris.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Secrets
A celebrated people lose dignity upon a closer view.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Respectability
When I want any, good head work done; I always choose a man, if possible with a long nose.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Quality
Courage is like love; it must have hope to nourish it.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Courage
I tell you Wellington is a bad general, the English are bad soldiers; we will settle this matter by lunch time.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Argument
Ability is of little account without opportunity.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Ability
When soldiers have been baptized in the fire of a battle-field, they have all one rank in my eyes.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Battles
Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principals which direct them.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Ambition
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.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Conflict
There are only two forces that unite men -- fear and interest.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Fear
The greatest general is he who makes the fewest mistakes.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Army and Navy
Men are Moved by two levers only: fear and self interest
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Fear
He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Fear
The infectiousness of crime is like that of the plague.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Crime and Criminals
It requires more courage to suffer than to die.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Courage
Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Doctors
Vengeance has no foresight.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Vengeance
Victory belongs to the most persevering.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Victory
The most dangerous moment comes with victory.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Victory
The only one who is wiser than anyone is everyone.
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Wisdom