Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest.

The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree with you and are too cowardly to let you know.

A Government protected by foreigners will never be accepted by a free people.

Do you know what is more hard to bear than the reverses of fortune? It is the baseness, the hideous ingratitude, of man.

What is the government? Nothing, unless supported by opinion.

Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.

Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.