| Love is the strongest force the world possesses, and yet it is the Greatness of a road leading towards the unknown. |
| It will not be any European statesman who will unite Europe Europe will be united by the Chinese. |
| I respect only those who resist me, but I cannot tolerate them. |
| I have against me the bourgeois, the military and the diplomats, and for me, only the people who take the Mtro. |
| Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first. |
| As an adolescent ... I was convinced that France would have to go through gigantic trials, that the interest of life consisted in one day rendering her some signal service and that I would have the occasion to do so. |
| I predict you will sink step by step into a bottomless quagmire, however much you spend in men and money. (On Vietnam War) |
| I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians. |
| A great country worthy of the name does not have any friends. |
| The national task that had been incumbent upon me for 18 years is hereby confirmed. |
| In politics it is necessary either to betray one's country of the electorate. I prefer to betray the electorate. |
| Since a politician never believes what he says, he is surprised when others believe him. |
| How can one conceive of a one-party system in a country that has over 200 varieties of cheeses |
| For glory gives herself only to those who have always dreamed of her. |
| How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese |
| You may be sure that the Americans will commit all the stupidities they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination. |
| In order to become the master the politician poses as the servant. |
| The great leaders have always stage-managed their effects. |
| My dear and old country, here we are once again together faced with a heavy trial. |
| The graveyards are full of indispensable men. |
| What do you take me for, an idiot |
| Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so. |
| Deliberation is the function of many, action is the function of one. |
| I have tried to lift France out of the mud. But she will return to her errors and vomitings. I cannot prevent the French from being French. |
| Now I shall return to my village and there will remain at the disposition of the nation. |
| Once upon a time there was an old country, wrapped up in habit and caution. ... We have to transform our old France into a new country and marry it to its time. |
| You start out giving your hat, then you give your coat, then your shirt, then your skin and finally your soul. |
| Diplomats are useful only in fair weather. As soon as it rains they drown in every drop. |
| Treaties are like roses and young girls. They last while they last. |
| To govern is always to choose among disadvantages. |
| When I want to know what France thinks, I ask myself. |
| I have heard your views. They do not harmonize with mine. The decision is taken unanimously. |
| The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs. |
| Silence is the ultimate weapon of power. |
| How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese |
| Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word. |
