A leader is a dealer in hope.
History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.
History is a set of lies agreed upon.
What is history but a fable agreed upon?
Skepticism is a virtue in history as well as in philosophy.
Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.
It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr.
You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy's ranks.
The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence; and the great welcome them out of vanity or need.
When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity.
The great proof of madness is the disproportion of one's designs to one's means.
Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.
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.
There are only two forces that unite men - fear and interest.
Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest.
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
A throne is only a bench covered with velvet.
If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.
The human race is governed by its imagination.
Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.
Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.
