Quotes by Catherine the Great

“I praise loudly, I blame softly”

“I am one of the people who love the why of things”

“You philosophers are lucky men. You write on paper and paper is patient. Unfortunate Empress that I am, I write on the susceptible skins of living beings.”

“If Russians knew how to read, they would write me off”

“A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache.”

“For to tempt and to be tempted are things very nearly allied... whenever feeling has anything to do in the matter, no sooner is it excited than we have already gone vastly farther than we are aware of.”

“In my position you have to read when you want to write and to talk when you would like to read . . .”

“I shall be an autocrat, thats my trade; and the good Lord will forgive me, thats his.”

“Power without a nations confidence is nothing.”

“I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.”

The more a man knows, the more he forgives.

A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache.

One cannot always know what children are thinking. Children are hard to understand, especially when careful training has a custom them to obedience and experience has made them cautious in conversation with their teachers.

One cannot always know what children are thinking. Children are hard to understand, especially when careful training has accustomed them to obedience, and experience has made them cautious in their conversation with their teachers. Will you not draw from this the fine maxim that one should not scold children too much, but should make them trustful, so that they will not conceal their stupidities from us?

A great wind is blowing and that gives you either imagination or a headache.

First health then wealth then pleasure and do not owe anything to anybody.

Power without [the peoples] confidence is nothing.

I shall be an autocrat thats my trade and the good Lord will forgive me thats his.

I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.

Power without a nations confidence is nothing.