As an adolescent I was convinced that France would have to go through gigantic trials, that the interest of life consisted in one day rendering her some signal service and that I would have the occasion to do so.

In war, the policy of least exertion always risks being paid for dearly.

France cannot be France without greatness.

Belgium is a country invented by the British to annoy the French.

Nothing more enhances authority than silence. It is the crowning virtue of the strong, the refuge of the weak, the modesty of the proud, the pride of the humble, the prudence of the wise, and the sense of fools. To speak is to . . . dissipate one's strength; whereas what action demands is concentration. Silence is a necessary preliminary to the ordering of one's thoughts.

Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.

Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.