Quotes by Charles de Gaulle

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

Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.

Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui nont pas cédé. [Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.]

Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.

The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.

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.

Politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.

Deliberation is the work of many men. Action of one alone.

How can you be expected to govern a country that has 246 kinds of cheese?

Faced with crisis the man of character falls back on himself.

Before such a prodigious career judgement is torn between blame and admiration.

How can you govern a country with two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?

Greatness is a road leading towards the unknown.

The perfection preached in the Gospels never yet built up an Empire. Every man of action has a strong dose of optimism pride hardness and cunning. But all these things will be forgiven him indeed they will be regarded as high qualities if he can make of them the means to achieve great ends.

I respect only those who resist me but cannot tolerate them.

A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless.

Every man of action has a strong dose of egotism pride hardness and cunning. But all those things will be forgiven him indeed they will be regarded as high qualities if he can make them the means to achieve great ends.

Since a politician never believes what he says he is surprised when others believe him.

In politics it is necessary either to betray ones country or the electorate. I prefer to betray the electorate.