Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most legendary military leaders in history. He was a master of strategy and tactics and led his armies to victory on many battlefields. He was also known for his insightful quotes, which offer valuable wisdom even today.
In this article, we will explore some of Napoleon’s best quotes and discuss what they mean for us today.
About Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon first rose to prominence as a general during the French Revolution. He then staged a coup d’état and became The First Consul of France, ruling the country with an iron fist.
In 1804, he was crowned Emperor of the French, and over the next decade, he embarked on a series of military campaigns that transformed him into one of history’s most renowned commanders. By 1812, however, Napoleon’s fortunes had begun to turn, and after his disastrous invasion of Russia, he was slowly driven back by a coalition of European nations.
Finally, after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, where he died six years later. Although he was a controversial figure in his own time, Napoleon is now widely regarded as one of the greatest military strategists of all time.
Here are the best Napoleon Quotes
The ideas of the French Revolution were exported by Napoleon to other nations, especially in the area of legal reform. Let’s take a look at some of Napoleon’s most famous quotes and see what lessons we can learn from them today.
1. “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.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
This quote is about the importance of open dialogue and debate in society. When people are afraid to speak their minds, it stifles progress and allows fear and ignorance to spread.
Alternatively, when people feel free to express their opinions, even if they differ from the majority, it allows for a more open exchange of ideas and leads to a better understanding of different points of view. It also promotes critical thinking and allows people to learn from each other.
2. “In politics… never retreat, never retract… never admit a mistake.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
3. “You become strong by defying defeat and by turning loss and failure into success.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
4. “Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
5. “I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world, and yet they lay their hands on everything they can get.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
6. “Nothing is more difficult and therefore more precious than to be able to decide.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
7. “I can no longer obey; I have tasted command, and I cannot give it up.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
8. “There is one kind of robber whom the law does not strike at and who steals what is most precious to men: time.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
9. “If I had not been born Napoleon, I would have liked to have been born Alexander.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
10. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
11. “Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
In this quote, Napoleon Bonaparte compares courage to love, two of the most powerful emotions humans experience. He observes that both require hope in order to thrive.
This is because hope is what gives us the strength to keep going, even when things are tough. When we love someone, we hope for a future with them. When we are courageous, we hope that our efforts will be rewarded.
12. “Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
13. “Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
14. “A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
15. “A revolution can be neither made nor stopped. The only thing that can be done is for one of several of its children to give it a direction by dint of victories.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
16. “The World is not ruined by the wickedness of the wicked, but by the weakness of the good.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
17. “A true man hates no one.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
18. “The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
19. “History is a set of lies agreed upon.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
20. “Until you spread your wings, you’ll have no idea how far you can fly.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
Too often, we allow our fears to hold us back from reaching our full potential. We tell ourselves that we’re not good enough or that we don’t have what it takes to succeed. But if we never take the leap, we’ll never know what we’re truly capable of.
21.“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
22. “Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
23. “The art of war is to gain time when your strength is inferior.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
24. “Men of great ambition have sought happiness and have found fame.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
25. “He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
26. “Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
27. “There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
28. “There are only two forces in the world, the sword, and the spirit. In the long run, the sword will always be conquered by the spirit.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
29. “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
30. “Victory belongs to the most persevering.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
If you want to achieve something, you have to keep trying and never give up. This is a valuable lesson for everyone, whether you’re trying to reach a personal goal or grow your business. If you persevere, eventually, you will succeed.
31. “The fool has one great advantage over a man of sense; he is always
satisfied with himself.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
32. “Once you have made up your mind, stick to it; there is no longer any ‘if’ or ‘but.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
33. “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
34. “You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
35. “Great men are meteors designed to burn so that earth may be lighted.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
36. “Friends must always be treated as if one day they might be enemies.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
37. “The greater the man, the less is he opinionative; he depends upon events and circumstances.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
38. “There is only one thing in this world, and that is to keep acquiring money and more money, power and more power. All the rest is meaningless.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
39. “Greatness is nothing unless it is lasting.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
40. “If the art of war were nothing but the art of avoiding risks, glory would become the prey of mediocre minds.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
In war, as in life, there is no guarantee of success, no matter how well prepared one is. To achieve great things, one must be willing to take risks and face the possibility of failure. Only by embracing uncertainty can one hope to achieve greatness.
For Napoleon, the art of war was not simply about avoiding risks but about taking them in pursuit of a greater goal. This philosophy helped him to achieve remarkable successes on the battlefield and cement his place in history.
41. “There are only two forces that unite men – fear and interest.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
42.“Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
43.“One must change one’s tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one’s superiority.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
44.“The conscience is the sacred haven of the liberty of man.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
45.“Among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
46.“From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
47. “The only conquests which are permanent and leave no regrets are our conquests over ourselves.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
48.“The word impossible is not in my dictionary.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
49. “God is on the side with the best artillery.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
50.“The great proof of madness is the disproportion of one’s designs to one’s means.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
In this particular quote, he is emphasizing the importance of planning and proportionality. Designing a plan that is too ambitious or complex, given the available resources, is a recipe for disaster.
By contrast, a well-crafted plan that takes into account all of the available resources is much more likely to be successful.
51. “When firmness is sufficient, rashness is unnecessary.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
52.“The stupid speak of the past, the wise of the present, and fools of the future.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
53. “We walk faster when we walk alone.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
54. “Victory is not always winning the battle…but rising every time you fall.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
55. “In our time, none has the conception of what is great. It is up to me to show them.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
56.“Six hours sleep for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
57. “The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
58.“The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
59. “The only way to lead people is to show them a future: a leader is a dealer in hope.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
60. “The best way to make everyone poor is to insist on equality of wealth.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
The quote by Napoleon Bonaparte addresses the issue of equality and how it can lead to poverty. He states that when everyone is insistent on having the same amount of wealth, it ultimately makes everyone poor.
This is because it creates a competitive environment where people are constantly striving to get ahead of others, which takes away from the time and energy that could be used to create wealth. Additionally, it leads to an erosion of the work ethic, as people become more focused on trying to get by instead of working hard.
Ultimately, this quote highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between competition and cooperation in order to create a thriving society.
61.“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t
have strength.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
62.“History is written by the winners.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
63.“You don’t reason with intellectuals. You shoot them.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
64.“The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
65. “To make yourself understood to people, one must first speak to their eyes.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
66.“A celebrated people lose dignity upon a closer view.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
67.“To have a right estimate of a man’s character, we must see him in misfortune.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
68.“The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
69.“The amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
70.“I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one or the other.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
The great military leader and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was a master of strategy, both on and off the battlefield. He knew when to be fierce and when to be cunning, when to attack and when to retreat. This quote speaks to the skill that is required to successfully navigate the political landscape.
A successful leader must be able to adapt to different situations and know when it is best to act like a fox, quietly working behind the scenes, or a lion, boldly taking charge. It is this ability to read a situation and make the best decision that separates great leaders from the rest.
71.“Soldiers generally win the battle; generals get credit for them.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
72.“It is not necessary to bury the truth. It is sufficient merely to delay it until nobody cares.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
73.“All things proclaim the existence of God.”-Napoleon Bonaparte
This profound statement speaks to the idea that everything in Creation points to the existence of its Creator. We see this in the beauty of a sunset, the intricacy of a flower, or the vastness of the night sky.
Each of these things bears the imprint of God’s handiwork and reminds us of His glory. Even in the midst of difficulties and trials, we can catch glimpses of God’s goodness and faithfulness. In all things, both great and small, we see evidence of His existence and His love for us.
Let’s Wind Up…
Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most brilliant minds in history. He was a master strategist, and his quotes are still relevant today. We hope you enjoyed this collection of Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes. If you have any suggestions for future blog posts, let us know!