I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his.

I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.

You were in a mood to quarrel. Please inform me once the inclination passes.

Praise is the only gift for which people are really grateful. Marguerite, Countess of Blessington I praise loudly; I blame softly.

Nothing is more difficult, in my opinion, than to avoid something that fundamentally attracts you.

The laws ought to be so framed as to secure the safety of every citizen as much as possible. ... Political liberty does not consist in the notion that a man may do whatever he pleases; liberty is the right to do whatsoever the laws allow. ... The equality of the citizens consists in that they should all be subject to the same laws.

If Russians knew how to read, they would write me off.