“To understand the man you have to know what was happening in the world when he was twenty.”

We must laugh at man to avoid crying for him.

It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr.

Orders and decorations are necessary in order to dazzle the people.

A woman laughing is a woman conquered.

Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him.

One is more certain to influence men, to produce more effect on them, by absurdities than by sensible ideas.

If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god.

If we could read the past histories of all our enemies we would disregard all hostility for them.

I saw the crown of France laying on the ground, so I picked it up with my sword.

A revolution is an idea, taken up by bayonets.

Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.

A true man hates no one.

Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.

China is a sleeping giant; let him sleep, for if he wakes, he will shake the World.

He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.

Give me enough medals and I’ll win you any war

Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.

It is either easy or impossible.

Envying another man’s happiness is madness; you wouldn’t know what to do with it if you had it.

How can you hide from what never goes away?

A man thinks he owns things, and it is he who is owned.

Mind: A beautiful servant, a dangerous master.

You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.

The more you discover, the more you feel, until it becomes a part of you.