Quotes By Napoleon Bonaparte

Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.

A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights.

I am the successor, not of Louis XVI, but of Charlemagne.

In order to govern, the question is not to follow out a more or less valid theory but to build with whatever materials are at hand. The inevitable must be accepted and turned to advantage.

Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.

A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.

Water, air, and cleanness are the chief articles in my pharmacy.

You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy's ranks.

If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god.

Respect the burden.

In politics... never retreat, never retract... never admit a mistake.

France has more need of me than I have need of France.

From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.

Ability is nothing without opportunity.

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.

A leader is a dealer in hope.

Skepticism is a virtue in history as well as in philosophy.

There is one kind of robber whom the law does not strike at, and who steals what is most precious to men: time.

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.

The infectiousness of crime is like that of the plague.

Victory belongs to the most persevering.

If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.

Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.

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.

Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues.

The French complain of everything, and always.

With audacity one can undertake anything, but not do everything.

When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity.