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The greater the man, the less is he opinionative, he depends upon events and circumstances.
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The most terrible of all my battles was the one before Moscow. The French showed themselves to be worthy of victory, but the Russians showed themselves worthy of being invincible.
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The word impossible is not French.
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Victory and disaster establish indestructible bonds between armies and their commanders.
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Treason is a matter of dates.
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If I always appear prepared, it is because before entering an undertaking, I have meditated long and have foreseen what might occur. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly and secretly what I should do in circumstances unexpected by others; it is thought and preparation.
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The basic principle that we must follow in directing the armies of the Republic is this: that they must feed themselves on war at the expense of the enemy territory.
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Diplomacy is the police in grand costume.
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If I were an Englishman, I should esteem the man who advised a war with China to be the greatest living enemy of my country. You would be beaten in the end, and perhaps a revolution in India would follow.
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The future destiny of a child is always the work of the mother.
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I would rather have a general who was lucky than one who was good.
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It is often in the audacity, in the steadfastness, of the general that the safety and the conservation of his men is found.
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My star was fading, I felt the reins slipping out of my grasp, and could do nothing to stop it.
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A King should sacrifice the best affections of his heart for the good of his country; no sacrifice should be above his determination.
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Adversity is the midwife of genius.
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When a man is a favorite of Fortune she never takes him unawares, and, however astonishing her favors may be, she finds him ready.
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Friendship is but a name. I love no one.
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Speeches pass away, but acts remain.
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We are nothing but by the law.
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Charges of cavalry are equally useful at the beginning, the middle and the end of a battle. They should be made always, if possible, on the flanks of the infantry, especially when the latter is engaged in front.
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Pure politics is merely the calculus of combinations and of chances.
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A man's palate can, in time, become accustomed to anything.
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A man occupied with public or other important business cannot, and need not, attend to spelling.
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A leader has the right to be beaten, but never the right to be surprised.