Quotes & anectdotes from
the wise,
the foolish,
the courageous &
the drunk

Napoleon Bonaparte Military Officer

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: France
  • Born: Aug 15, 1769
  • Died: May 5, 1821

History is a set of lies agreed upon.

Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.

One should never forbid what one lacks the power to prevent.

One must change one's tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one's superiority.

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

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

It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr.

The great proof of madness is the disproportion of one's designs to one's means.

There are only two forces that unite men - fear and interest.

It requires more courage to suffer than to die.

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

Imagination rules the world.

All religions have been made by men.

The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.

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

If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.

Music is the voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows.

Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals.

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

The human race is governed by its imagination.

If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing.

Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.

He who knows how to flatter also knows how to slander.

History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.

The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence and the great welcome them out of vanity or need.

Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.

Courage is like love it must have hope for nourishment.

The best way to keep one's word is not to give it.

Women are nothing but machines for producing children.

The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.

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.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Men take only their needs into consideration - never their abilities.

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.

Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet.

Respect the burden.

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

You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.

In politics stupidity is not a handicap.

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

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.

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

War is the business of barbarians.

The strong man is the one who is able to intercept at will the communication between the senses and the mind.

Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.

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

The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue courage is only the second virtue.

Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest.

A leader is a dealer in hope.

What is history but a fable agreed upon?