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A man made for public life and authority never takes account of personalities; he only takes account of things, of their weight and their conseqences.
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War is a lottery in which nations ought to risk nothing but small amounts.
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In war, as in politics, no evil - even if it is permissible under the rules - is excusable unless it is absolutely necessary. Everything beyond that is a crime.
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Lies circle the earth while Truth is still trying to put on its shoes.
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Clever policy consists in making nations believe they are free.
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Our credulity is a part of the imperfection of our natures. It is inherent in us to desire to generalize, when we ought, on the contrary, to guard ourselves very carefully from this tendency.
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It must be recognized that the real truths of history are hard to discover. Happily, for the most part, they are rather matters of curiosity than of real importance.
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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.
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In war, the moral element and public opinion are half the battle.
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Great ambition is the passion of a great character.
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It is an approved maxim in war, never to do what the enemy wishes you to do, for this reason alone, that he desires it.
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Democracy, if it is reasonable, limits itself to giving everyone an equal opportunity to compete and to obtain.
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For my part, it is not the mystery of the incarnation which I discover in religion, but the mystery of social order, which associates with heaven that idea of equality which prevents the rich from destroying the poor.
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I pay attention only to what people do or say. I never pay attention to what they think.
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Few really believe. The most only believe that they believe or even make believe.
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Love is the occupation of the idle man, the amusement of a busy one, and the shipwreck of a sovereign.
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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.
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It is necessary for the heart to feel as for the body to be fed.
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I have made noise enough in the world already, perhaps too much, and am now getting old, and want retirement.
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Great men grow tired of contentedness.