Charles de Gaulle

Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.

Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n'ont pas cédé. [Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.]

Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.

France has lost a battle. But France has not lost the war

I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.

How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?

Always choose the most difficult way, there you will not meet competitors.

Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone.

The graveyards are full of indispensable men.

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

In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.

Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word.

You may be sure that the Americans will commit all the stupidities they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination.

The great leaders have always stage-managed their effects.

The true statesman is the one who is willing to take risks.

The sword is the axis of the world and its power is absolute.

I was France.

I have tried to lift France out of the mud. But she will return to her errors and vomitings. I cannot prevent the French from being French.