110+ Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes: A Glimpse into the Mind of a Revolutionary Leader

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution. He was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814, and again briefly in 1815 during the Hundred Days. He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history, and his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Napoleon Bonaparte on leadership, success, war.

Top 10 Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes

1. Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
2. Six hours' sleep for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool.
3. Moses has revealed the existence of God to his nation. Jesus Christ to the Roman world, Muhammad to the old continent.
4. History is a set of lies agreed upon.
5. Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can fly.
6. Courage isn't having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don't have strength.
7. You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your tricks of war.
8. Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.
9. Adversity is the midwife of genius
10. A leader is a dealer in hope.

Napoleon Bonaparte Image Quotes

Go to table of contents

Six hours' sleep for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool. — Napoleon Bonaparte

History is a set of lies agreed upon. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A leader is a dealer in hope. — Napoleon Bonaparte

There are two levers for moving men -- interest and fear. — Napoleon Bonaparte

If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The best cure for the body is a quiet mind. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily. — Napoleon Bonaparte

In politics... never retreat, never retract... never admit a mistake. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics — Napoleon Bonaparte

The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man. — Napoleon Bonaparte

If you want a thing done well, do it yourself. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power. — Napoleon Bonaparte

When you set out to take Vienna, take Vienna. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The best way to keep one's word is not to give it. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Victory belongs to the most persevering. — Napoleon Bonaparte

From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us. — Napoleon Bonaparte

He who knows how to flatter also knows how to slander. — Napoleon Bonaparte

England is a nation of shopkeepers. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Short Quotes

Go to table of contents

• It is not necessary to bury the truth. It is sufficient merely to delay it until nobody cares.
• The fool has one great advantage over a man of sense; he is always satisfied with himself.
• If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.
• The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.
• The World is not ruined by the wickedness of the wicked, but by the weakness of the good.
• Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.
• The amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics
• Leave the Artillerymen alone, they are an obstinate lot.
• The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man.
• If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Leadership

Go to table of contents

An order that can be misunderstood will be misunderstood. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Every private in the French army carries a Field Marshall wand in his knapsack. — Napoleon Bonaparte

When I give a minister an order, I leave it to him to find the means to carry it out. — Napoleon Bonaparte

When firmness is sufficient, rashness is unnecessary. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Leaders have to be dealers in hope. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The inevitable end of multiple chiefs is that they fade and disappear for lack of unity. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Men are lead by trifles. — Napoleon Bonaparte

One can lead a nation only by helping it see a bright outlook. A leader is a dealer in hope. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The only way to lead people is to show them a future: a leader is a dealer in hope. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Every French soldier carriers a marshal's baton in his knapsack. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Success

Go to table of contents

Impatience is a great obstacle to success; he who treats everything with brusqueness gathers nothing, or only immature fruit which will never ripen. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Men who have changed the world never achieved their success by winning the chief citizens to their side, but always by stirring the masses. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The art of being sometimes audacious and sometimes very prudent is the secret of success. — Napoleon Bonaparte

If you wish to be success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Be successful! I judge men only by the results of their actions. — Napoleon Bonaparte

When you determine to risk a battle, reserve to yourself every possible chance of success, more particularly if you have to deal with an adversary of superior talent, for if you are beaten, even in the midst of your magazines and your communications, woe to the vanquished! — Napoleon Bonaparte

Hereditary succession to the magistracy is absurd, as it tends to make a property of it; it is incompatible with the sovereignty of the people. — Napoleon Bonaparte

My success and everything good that I have done, I owe to my mother. — Napoleon Bonaparte

If you want to get on in this world make many promises, but don't keep them. — Napoleon Bonaparte

It is the success which makes great men. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About War

Go to table of contents

Religious wars are basically people killing each other over who has the better imaginary friend. — Napoleon Bonaparte

You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war. — Napoleon Bonaparte

War is ninety percent information. — Napoleon Bonaparte

God is on the side with the best artillery — Napoleon Bonaparte

One must change one's tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one's superiority. — Napoleon Bonaparte

In war, as in prostitution, amateurs are often better than professionals. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Remember, gentlemen, what a Roman emperor said: The corpse of an enemy always smells sweet. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The spectacle of a field of battle after the combat, is sufficient to inspire Princes with the love of peace, and the horror of war. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I love a brave soldier who has undergone the baptism of fire. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Great battles are won with artillery. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Power

Go to table of contents

There is only one thing in this world, and that is to keep acquiring money and more money, power and more power. All the rest is meaningless. — Napoleon Bonaparte

When you set out to take Vienna, take Vienna. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The Bible is not merely a book-it is a living power. . . . Nowhere as in the Bible can be found such a series of beautiful ideas and admirable maxims which pose before us like the battalions of a celestial army. . . . The soul can never go astray while it has this book for its guide. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I love power. But it is as an artist that I love it. I love it as a musician loves his violin, to draw out its sounds and chords and harmonies. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Few really believe. The most only believe that they believe or even make believe. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Public opinion is a mysterious and invisible power, to which everything must yield. There is nothing more fickle, more vague, or more powerful; yet capricious as it is, it is nevertheless much more often true, reasonable, and just, than we imagine. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Power is what they like - it is the greatest of all aphrodisiacs. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The gospel is not a book; it is a living being, with an action, a power, which invades every thing that opposes its extension, behold! It is upon this table: This book, surpassing all others. I never omit to read it, and every day with some pleasure. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Politics

Go to table of contents

In politics... never retreat, never retract... never admit a mistake. — Napoleon Bonaparte

In politics stupidity is not a handicap. — Napoleon Bonaparte

In a conquered country benevolence is not humanitarianism. It is a general political axiom that a conqueror must not inspire a good opinion of his benevolence until he has demonstrated that he can be severe with malefactors. — Napoleon Bonaparte

They wanted me to be a Washington. — Napoleon Bonaparte

But it is at home and not in public that one should wash ones dirty linen. [Fr., Car c'est en famille, ce n'est pas en public, qu'un lave son linge sale.] — Napoleon Bonaparte

In a great nation, the majority are incapable of judging wisely of things. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The policies of all powers are inherent in their geography. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Great events ever depend but upon a single hair. The adroit man profits by everything, neglects nothing which can increase his chances; the less adroit, by sometimes disregarding a single chance, fails in everything. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A magistrate is not a father; he must be just and severe. Only tyrants are fathers. — Napoleon Bonaparte

High politic is only common sense applied to great things. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Governance

Go to table of contents

Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one or the other. — Napoleon Bonaparte

In order to govern, the question is not to follow out a more or less valid theory but to build with whatever materials are at hand. The inevitable must be accepted and turned to advantage. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The human race is governed by its imagination. — Napoleon Bonaparte

It is easy to know when a government wishes for peace by observing the character of the person sent to negotiate for it. — Napoleon Bonaparte

When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they and not the leaders of the government control the situation — Napoleon Bonaparte

Incidents should not govern policy; but, policy incidents. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I am a monarch of God's creation, and you reptiles of the earth dare not oppose me. I render an account of my government to none save God and Jesus Christ. — Napoleon Bonaparte

It is an ambassador's duty to stand up for his nation's foreign policy in any era and under any government whatsoever. Ambassadors are, in the full meaning of the term, titled spies. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A great Nation should have a fixed Government, so that the death of one man should not overturn it. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Conquest

Go to table of contents

The only conquests that are permanent and leave no regrets are our conquests over ourselves. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The object of war is victory, the object of victory is conquest, and the object of conquest is occupation. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Conquests will come and go but Delambre's work will endure. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Conquest has made me what I am, only conquest can maintain me. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The only true conquests-those that awaken no regrets- are those obtained over our ignorance. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About People

Go to table of contents

Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent. — Napoleon Bonaparte

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. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The world soffers a lot. Not because the violence of bad people. But because of the silence of the good people. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Those who have changed the universe have never done it by changing officials, but always by inspiring the people. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Called to the throne by the voice of the people, my maxim has always been: A career open to talent without distinction of birth. It is this system of equality for which the European oligarchy detests me — Napoleon Bonaparte

Liberty is a need felt by a small class of people whom nature has endowed with nobler minds than the mass of men;.... Consequently, it may be repressed with impunity. Equality, on the other hand, pleases the masses. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Great people are meteors designed to burn so that the earth may be lighted. — Napoleon Bonaparte

People take England on trust, and repeat that Shakespeare is the greatest of all authors. I have read him: there is nothing that compares Racine or Corneille: his plays are unreadable, pitiful. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Impossible is the word found only in a fool's dictionary. Wise people create opportunities for themselves and make everything possible. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Fear

Go to table of contents

There are two levers for moving men -- interest and fear. — Napoleon Bonaparte

He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest. — Napoleon Bonaparte

There are only two forces that unite men -- fear and interest. — Napoleon Bonaparte

You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy's ranks. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I fear three newspapers more than a hundred thousand bayonets. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Mankind's worst enemy is fear of work — Napoleon Bonaparte

A journalist is a grumbler, a censurer, a giver of advice, a regent of sovereigns, a tutor of nations. Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Passionate people invariably deny their anger, and cowards often boast their ignorance of fear. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A man is not dependent upon his fellow creature, when he does not fear death. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Love

Go to table of contents

As for me, to love you alone, to make you happy, to do nothing which would contradict your wishes, this is my destiny and the meaning of my life. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Until then, mio dolce amor, a thousand kisses; but give me none in return, for they set my blood on fire. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Courage is like love; it must have hope to nourish it. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I believe love to be hurtful to society, and to the individual happiness of men. I believe, in short, that love does more harm than good. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Alexander, Charlemagne and myself all tried to found an empire on force and we failed. Jesus Christ is building an empire on love, and today there are millions of people who would gladly die for His sake. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Man loves the marvelous. It has an irresistible charm for him. He is always ready to leave that with which he is familiar to pursue vain inventions. He lends himself to his own deception. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Love is the occupation of the idle man, the amusement of a busy one, and the shipwreck of a sovereign. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The only victory over love is flight. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I do not believe it is in our nature to love impartially. We deceive ourselves when we think we can love two beings, even our own children, equally. There is always a dominant affection. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Oh Man, Man. How despicable in slavery, how great when fired with the love of freedom! — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About General

Go to table of contents

The greatest general is he who makes the fewest mistakes. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The best generals are those who have served in the artillery. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Generals who save troops for the next day are always beaten. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A general must be a charlatan. — Napoleon Bonaparte

What my enemies call a general peace is my destruction. What I call peace is merely the disarmament of my enemies. Am I not more moderate than they? — Napoleon Bonaparte

Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Ambition never is in a greater hurry that I; it merely keeps pace with circumstances and with my general way of thinking. — Napoleon Bonaparte

There are in Europe many good generals, but they see too many things at once. I see one thing, namely the enemy's main body. I try to crush it, confident that secondary matters will then settle themselves. — Napoleon Bonaparte

True wisdom for a general is vigorous determination. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes About Law

Go to table of contents

There is one kind of robber whom the law does not strike at, and who steals what is most precious to men: time. — Napoleon Bonaparte

It strengthens the bonds between nations to have the same civil laws and the same monetary system. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Who saves his country violates no law. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Do not talk to me of goodness, of abstract justice, of nature law. Necessity is the highest law, public welfare is the highest justice. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Timid and cowardly soldiers cause the loss of a nation's independence; but pusillanimous magistrates destroy the empire of the laws, the rights of the throne, and even social order itself. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Public morals are natural complement of all laws they are by themselves an entire code. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Laws which are consistent in theory often prove chaotic in practice. — Napoleon Bonaparte

We are nothing but by the law. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Not one cent should be raised unless it is in accord with the law. — Napoleon Bonaparte

There are so many laws that no one is safe from hanging. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte Famous Quotes And Sayings

Go to table of contents

Six hours' sleep for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool. — Napoleon Bonaparte

History is a set of lies agreed upon. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A leader is a dealer in hope. — Napoleon Bonaparte

There are two levers for moving men -- interest and fear. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The best cure for the body is a quiet mind. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of the Quran which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness. — Napoleon Bonaparte

In politics... never retreat, never retract... never admit a mistake. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics — Napoleon Bonaparte

The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man. — Napoleon Bonaparte

If you want a thing done well, do it yourself. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power. — Napoleon Bonaparte

When you set out to take Vienna, take Vienna. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The best way to keep one's word is not to give it. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Victory belongs to the most persevering. — Napoleon Bonaparte

From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Every hour of lost time is a chance of future misfortune. — Napoleon Bonaparte

He who knows how to flatter also knows how to slander. — Napoleon Bonaparte

England is a nation of shopkeepers. — Napoleon Bonaparte

If you know a country's geography, you can understand and predict its foreign policy. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Never tell your enemy he is doing the wrong thing. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world, and yet they lay their hands on everything they can get. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Never awake me when you have good news to announce, because with good news nothing presses; but when you have bad news, arouse me immediately, for then there is not an instant to be lost. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The strong man is the one who is able to intercept at will the communication between the senses and the mind. — Napoleon Bonaparte

It requires more courage to suffer than to die. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Courage cannot be counterfeited. It is one virtue that escapes hypocrisy. — Napoleon Bonaparte

My downfall raises me to infinite heights. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Die young, and I shall accept your death-but not if you have lived without glory, without being useful to your country, without leaving a trace of your existence: for that is not to have lived at all. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Water, air, and cleanness are the chief articles in my pharmacy. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights. — Napoleon Bonaparte

On victory, you deserve beer. On defeat, you need it. — Napoleon Bonaparte

An order that can be misunderstood will be misunderstood. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Nothing is more destructive than the charge of artillery on a crowd. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Imagination rules the world. — Napoleon Bonaparte

He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A true man hates no one. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The greatest general is he who makes the fewest mistakes. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The torment of precautions often exceeds often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one's self to destiny. — Napoleon Bonaparte

A throne is only a bench covered with velvet. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Whatever shall we do in that remote spot? Well, we will write our memoirs. Work is the scythe of time. — Napoleon Bonaparte

If you set out to take Vienna, take Vienna. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Conscription is the vitality of a nation, the purification of its morality, and the real foundations of all its habits — Napoleon Bonaparte

A well-composed song strikes the mind and softens the feelings, and produces a greater effect than a moral work, which convinces our reason, but does not warm our feelings, nor effect the slightest alteration in our habits — Napoleon Bonaparte

Strong coffee, much strong coffee, is what awakens me. Coffee gives me warmth, waking, an unusual force and a pain that is not without very great pleasure. — Napoleon Bonaparte

All great events hang by a single thread. The clever man takes advantage of everything, neglects nothing that may give him some added opportunity; the less clever man, by neglecting one thing, sometimes misses everything. — Napoleon Bonaparte

We are either kings or pawns of men — Napoleon Bonaparte

I like honest men of all colors. — Napoleon Bonaparte

We often get in quicker by the back door than by the front. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I have made all the calculations; fate will do the rest. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide. — Napoleon Bonaparte

I base my calculations on the expectation that luck will be against me — Napoleon Bonaparte

Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The most dangerous moment comes with victory. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The future destiny of the child is always the work of the mother. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Lead the ideas of your time and they will accompany and support you; fall behind them and they drag you along with them; oppose them and they will overwhelm you. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Medicine is a collection of uncertain prescriptions, the results of which, taken collectively, are more fatal than useful to mankind. — Napoleon Bonaparte

The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Women are nothing but machines for producing children. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Treason is a matter of dates. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Strategy is the art of making use of time and space. I am less concerned about the later than the former. Space we can recover, lost time never. — Napoleon Bonaparte

We must laugh at man to avoid crying for him. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Terrorism, War & Bankruptcy are caused by the privatization of money, issued as a debt and compounded by interest. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Give Me a Turkish Army. I will Conquer world. — Napoleon Bonaparte

There is no place in a fanatic's head where reason can enter. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Oh well, no matter what happens, there's always death. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Give me an educated mother, I shall promise you the birth of a civilized, educated nation — Napoleon Bonaparte

Men take only their needs into consideration - never their abilities. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Life Lessons by Napoleon Bonaparte

Go to table of contents

1. Napoleon Bonaparte taught us to never give up, no matter the odds, and to always strive for greatness.
2. He also showed us the importance of taking calculated risks and being decisive in order to achieve success.
3. Finally, he demonstrated the power of strong leadership and the importance of having a clear vision for the future.