29 Charles De Gaulle Quotes That Are Still Relevant
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was the 18th President of France and a prominent figure in the French Cold War era, whose ideas still continue to impact the governance of the country. Renowned for being the spearhead of Free France, he was also the head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic before his presidency. He served in the French Army for more than thirty years and progressed to the rank of Brigade General. He played a crucial role in both the World Wars. He received countless honors including Grand-Croix of the Légion d'honneur, Knight of the Order of the Elephant, Medal of Honour of the Congress of Peru and many more. We have curated some of his most famous thoughts from his life, writings, speeches, observations etc. Zoom through these quotes and sayings from this French leader.
How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?
The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.
Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.
A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities.
Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.
I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
France has lost a battle. But France has not lost the war
Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.
The cemeteries are full of indispensable men.
China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.
Since a politician never believes what he says, he is surprised when others believe him.
Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.
In order to be the master, the politician poses as the servant.
Treaties you see are like girls and roses; they last while they last.
I am a man who belongs to nobody and who belongs to everybody.
When I am right, I get angry. Churchill gets angry when he is wrong. We are angry at each other much of the time.
You'll live. Only the best get killed.
The sword is the axis of the world and grandeur cannot be divided.
Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone.
Nothing builds authority up like silence, splendor of the strong and shelter of the weak.
I am too poor to bow.
Politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
One must speak little. In action one must say nothing. The chief is the one who does not speak.
It is better to have a bad method than to have none.
The more I get to know men, the more I love dogs.
Politics, when it is an art and a service, not an exploitation, is about acting for an ideal through realities.
How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?
There can be no prestige without mystery, for familiarity breeds contempt.
Difficulty attracts the characterful man, for it is by grasping it that he fulfils himself.
