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LEARNING FRENCH

17 of Napoleon’s most famous quotes (in French)

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most important figures in French history, famed for his military prowess. But the great imperialist was also somewhat of a wordsmith. Here are some of his most profound insights and famous quotes.

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was more than just a military genius. Read our selection of some of his most profound insights.
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was more than just a military genius. Read our selection of some of his most profound insights. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Ridley Scott’s new film, Napoleon, focuses on the meteoric rise of Napoleon Bonaparte – a ruthless military commander who rose from humble beginnings in Corsica to become Emperor of France in 1804. 

At the height of his power, Napoleon exerted power over vast swathes of territory in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. 

Napoleon was a military genius and a pioneer of artillery, defying the odds to achieve victory in close to 90 percent of all his major battles. 

When his arch-nemesis, the Duke of Wellington, was asked to name the greatest general of the era, the reply came: “in this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon.” 

Given his military prowess, it is no surprise that Napoleon is often overlooked as a leader with an almost poetic mastery of the French language. Here is our selection of some of the most erudite phrases every to spill from the Corsican’s quill – or to be uttered in his thick provincial accent.

Love

Some of Napoleon’s most romantic lines come from letters to his wife, Josephine, invariably sent from the front-lines of far-flung battlefields. Among them:

  • Mon bonheur est que tu sois heureuse, ma joie que tu sois joyeuse – ‘My happiness is that you are happy, my joy is that you are joyful’
  • La terre n’est belle à mes yeux que parce que tu l’habites – ‘The earth is only beautiful to me because you live on it’

READ MORE: 6 myths about French emperor Napoleon 

The French Emperor eventually divorced Josephine but that didn’t stop him from philosophising more generally about love, as these lines commonly attributed to him attest. 

  • L’amour est une sottise faite à deux – ‘Love is foolishness shared between two people’ 
  • Une belle femme plaît aux yeux, une bonne femme plaît au coeur; l’une est un bijou, l’autre un trésor – ‘A beautiful woman pleases the eyes, a good woman pleases the heart; one is a gem, the other is a treasure

Power and greatness 

Napoleon was unashamedly conscious of his place in history and wasn’t afraid to say so. At just 22-years-old, he said this at a clearly self-referential speech in Lyon:

  • Les hommes de génie sont des météores destinés à brûler pour éclairer leur siècle – ‘Men of genius are meteors destined to burn bright to illuminate their century’ 

He is also credited with the following meditations on greatness and power:

  • Ce que je cherche avant tout, c’est la grandeur: ce qui est grand est toujours beau – ‘What I’m looking for above all is greatness: what is great is always beautiful’
  • C’est le succès qui fait les grands hommes – ‘Success is what makes great men’
  • On gouverne mieux les hommes par leurs vices que par leurs vertus – ‘Men are better governed by their vices than their virtues’

Life hacks 

While it might seem anachronistic to attribute life-hacks to a 18/19th century military leader, there are certainly a few relatable one-liners attributed to Napoleon that would still hold up on cheesy instagram influencer pages today:

  • Le meilleur moyen de tenir sa parole est de ne jamais la donner – ‘The best way to keep your word is never to give it [in the first place]
  • Il faut toujours se réserver le droit de rire le lendemain de ses idées de la veille – ‘You should always reserve the right to laugh the next day to laugh at ideas you had the day before’ 
  • N’interrompez jamais un ennemi qui est en train de faire un erreur – ‘Never interrupt an enemy that is making a mistake’ 

Philosophy 

We know from his writings and transcripts of his speeches that Napoleon believed in the importance of family and religion in a way that was typical of his time. 

  • L’avenir d’un enfant est l’oeuvre de sa mère – ‘The future of a child is the work of it’s mother’
  • Une société sans religion est comme un vaisseau sans boussole – ‘A society without religion is like a ship without a compass’ 

READ MORE: 5 things you didn’t know about Napoleon

He is also credited with the following line about aging:

  • Plus on est grand et moins on doit avoir de volonté ; l’on dépend des événements et des circonstances – ‘The older you get, the less you need willpower; you depend on events and circumstances’ 

The French 

When exiled by the British to the Atlantic island of Saint-Helena, Napoleon had plenty of time to write. Among the most memorable of lines is one that many foreign residents of France will identify with today:

  • Il est dans le caractère français d’exagérer, de se plaindre et de tout défigurer dès qu’on est mécontent – ‘It is in the French character to exaggerate, complain and twist everything as soon as they are discontent’ 

But as you would expect from the leader of the mighty French Empire, he didn’t spend the whole time bashing his subjects, as this line from a rousing speech given to soldiers on their way to fight in Spain:

  • Impossible n’est pas français – ‘Impossible is not French’ 

One constant in Napoleon’s life was his disdain for the British – historic enemies of the French. He is reported to have said this, while exiled on Saint-Helena. 

  • Chaque vent qui souffle d’Angleterre ne m’apporte que haine ou outrage  – ‘Every wind that blows from England brings me nothing but hatred and outrage’ 

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FRENCH HISTORY

5 things to know about Charles de Gaulle’s historic ‘appel du 18 juin’

In 1940, France's former president and then-General Charles de Gaulle recorded a historic speech that many consider the start of the French resistance during World War II. Here are some facts you may not know about it.

5 things to know about Charles de Gaulle's historic 'appel du 18 juin'

On June 18, 1940, then-General Charles de Gaulle spoke into a BBC microphone in London, proclaiming that “Whatever happens, the flame of the French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished.”

His words were broadcast on the BBC’s Radio Londres, the network’s French language programme.

General de Gaulle called on all officers, soldiers and engineers already in British territory or capable of getting there, to join the fight against Nazi Germany

The speech is widely considered to be the “founding act of the Free French Forces” that would be led by de Gaulle. 

De Gaulle had fled to UK the previous day, after Marshal Philippe Pétain, the new French prime minister, had promised to sign an armistice with Nazi Germany.

READ MORE: ‘Punished for daring’: Women journalists defied Allies to cover D-Day

Here are five facts about the famous speech;

It was actually a response to another speech – The previous day, on June 17th at 12:30pm, the new head of the French government, Marshal Philippe Pétain, made a speech announcing his plans to sign an armistice with Nazi Germany. De Gaulle fled France the same day, and met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who gave him the green light to record a speech.

There were not many listeners – In reality, de Gaulle’s appeal on June 18th is not thought to have been heard by many French people. After the British government went back and forth about whether to air the speech, it eventually was broadcast at 10pm, rather late for people to have heard it across the Channel.

On top of that, the BBC would not have been a first choice for radio stations amongst French people, historian Aurélie Luneau told France Bleu.

Instead, the notoriety of the speech instead came from the word of mouth and re-prints of its words in the international press in the days to come. It was also put into poster-form and placed on walls around London.

A reproduction, from August 1940, of the poster put on walls around London, with the words of de Gaulle’s June 18th speech (Photo by AFP)

But it did mobilise many French once they heard about it. One key example is the Isle de Sein, off the coast of Finistère in Brittany. The small fishing community mobilised, and from June 24th to 26th, 136 locals sailed to Britain, the youngest just 14 and the oldest 54.

No recording of the speech – As it was not widely listened to, the original speech made on June 18th was not recorded or filmed. However, de Gaulle repeated his message again on the radio again four days later (on June 22), and this one was recorded and more widely listened to. 

The BBC then went on to give de Gaulle and the Free French five minutes a day to broadcast to France, in an effort to organise the resistance.

In 2023, French newspaper Le Monde was able to use artificial intelligence to recreate a close version to what de Gaulle’s original speech may have sounded like.

De Gaulle’s nickname – The General won the nickname ‘L’Homme du 18 juin’ (The man of the 18th of June) due to his initial speech and the many more that were broadcast during World War II.

Commemorated with a coin and stamp – Upon the 70th anniversary of the speech in 2010, France commemorated the event with a special stamp (you can see it here), as well as a €2 commemorative coin (you can see/buy it here).

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