In the birth of societies it is the chiefs of states who give it its special character; and afterward it is this special character that forms the chiefs of state.

Life was given to me as a favor, so I may abandon it when it is one no longer.

People here argue about religion interminably, but it appears that they are competing at the same time to see who can be the least devout.

To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.

Politics are a smooth file, which cuts gradually, and attains its end by slow progression.

It is always the adventurers who do great things, not the sovereigns of great empires.

Countries are not cultivated in proportion to their fertility, but to their liberty.