I cannot approve of your method of operation, you proceed like a bewildered idiot, taking not the least notice of my orders.
Secrets travel fast in Paris.
Man will believe anything, as long as it’s not in the bible.
Our hour is marked, and no one can claim a moment of life beyond what fate has predestined.
From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.
Every means should be taken to attach the soldier to his colours.
Better to have a known enemy than a forced ally.
At the head of an army, nothing is more becoming than simplicity.
An army must have but one line of operations. This must be maintained with care and abandoned only for major reasons.
All generals, officers, and soldiers who capitulate in battle to save their own lives should be decimated.
Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living.
Who saves his country violates no law.
France is invaded; I am leaving to take command of my troops, and, with God’s help and their valor, I hope soon to drive the enemy beyond the frontier.
Religions are all founded on miracles – on things we cannot understand, such as the Trinity. Jesus calls himself the Son of God, and yet is descended from David. I prefer the religion of Mahomet – it is less ridiculous than ours.
The French complain of everything, and always.
In time of revolution, with perseverance and courage, a soldier should think nothing impossible.
An army’s effectiveness depends on its size, training, experience, and morale, and morale is worth more than any of the other factors combined.
The act of policing is, in order to punish less often, to punish more severely.
Unity of command is essential to the economy of time. Warfare in the field was like a siege: by directing all one’s force to a single point a breach might be made, and the equilibrium of opposition destroyed.
War is like government, a matter of tact.