I have against me the bourgeois, the military and the diplomats, and for me, only the people who take the Métro.

France has no friends, only interests.

I feel not a person but an instrument of destiny.

Adversity attracts the man of character. He seeks out the bitter joy of responsibility.

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.

You start out giving your hat, then you give your coat, then your shirt, then your skin and finally your soul.

France has lost the battle but she has not lost the war.