Every Frenchman wants to enjoy one or more privileges; that's the way he shows his passion for equality

The perfection preached in the gospels never yet built an empire. Every man of action has a strong dose of egotism, pride, hardness, and cunning.

Only by coming to grips with difficulty can you realize your full potential.

In the tumult of men and events, solitude was my temptation; now it is my friend. What other satisfaction can be sought once you have confronted History?

How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?

What do you take me for, an idiot?

Genius sometimes consists of knowing when to stop.