The 75 best phrases of Charles de Gaulle
charles de gaulle He was a famous French statesman and general, born in the idyllic city of Lille during the year 1890. Thanks to his father, this brilliant soldier discovered French history at a very early age, because in It was a deep-rooted custom in his family to discuss historical and philosophical issues over dinner.
During the Second World War De Gaulle was the top French leader in the struggle that this country experienced against the Nazi Germany of Adolf Hitler. Later, during the Cold War, De Gaulle also gained great relevance, being a totally determining figure for France and Germany to achieve the long-awaited reconciliation.
- It may interest you: "The 68 best French Proverbs (and their meaning)"
The best famous quotes from Charles de Gaulle
Below you can discover The 75 best phrases of Charles de Gaulle, who is undoubtedly one of the most famous and well-known soldiers of the entire 20th century.
1. Patriotism is when love for your own people comes first; nationalism, when hatred towards people other than yours comes first.
Nationalism is an extremely harmful ideological current for a nation, since only by acting together can a society reach its greatest human and technological potential.
2. How can anyone rule a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different types of cheese?
As it is often said that there is taste in variety, a diverse society will always be much richer in talent and knowledge.
3. Always choose the most difficult way, in it you will not find opponents.
Normally the most difficult path will also be the one that provides us with the greatest benefits.
4. He can be sure that Americans will do all the stupid things they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination.
As de Gaulle has never trusted US military capabilities, a way of thinking that has not always worked out for him.
5. Belgium is a country invented by the British to annoy the French.
No doubt this is at least a somewhat curious perspective on this particular nation, a country that has always considered itself completely neutral in all major wars.
6. It is the supreme virtue of the strong, the refuge of the weak, the modesty of the proud, the pride of the humble, the prudence of the wise and the sense of fools. Talking is to... dissipate one's strength; while action demands concentration. Silence is a necessary preliminary to order thoughts.
Only in the face of silence can an authority impose its thought, whenever we do not completely agree with something we must pronounce ourselves.
7. I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to politicians.
De Gaulle was forced to take the reins of his country, because from his point of view the politicians were not sufficiently prepared for such an enormous task.
8. The cemeteries are full of indispensable men.
Wars never favor anyone, even the most courageous will most likely end up being harmed by them.
9. It will not be some European statesman who will unite Europe: Europe will be united by the Chinese.
As we can see, this former French leader already saw the influences that the Asian country would come to possess, without a doubt, China is a nation to take into account in the near future.
10. The better I know about men, the more I love dogs.
Dogs are the best companions that we as men can find, because their loyalty to us will always be totally full and sincere.
11. Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.
Thanks to silence, an ideological current can freely impose its ideas, just as unfortunately happened during Nazi Germany.
12. We can go to the moon, but that's not far away. The greatest distance we have to travel is still within us.
Men must agree for the good of all humanity, because only a well-cohesive society will be able to meet all its objectives.
13. Nothing great will be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be.
Great works need great people to carry them out, because without those people who have dared to do what seemed impossible, today's society would certainly not be as the we know.
14. You have to be quick and adaptive, otherwise a strategy is useless.
Military strategies can vary on the battlefield, because if an army is not capable of adapting to the situations it encounters, it will be easily defeated.
15. War stirs in the hearts of men the mud of their worst instincts. It gives greater importance to violence, feeds hatred and gives free rein to greed. Crush the weak, exalt the unworthy and reinforce tyranny... Time and again it has destroyed all orderly life, devastated hope and killed the prophets.
War is one of the most dire situations that humanity can go through, all politicians should try to avoid it at all costs.
16. In politics it is necessary to betray the country or the electorate. I prefer to betray the electorate.
Lies in politics are all too common, a ruse that unfortunately continues to be used today.
17. Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, one.
When the time comes, we will only have to act, because it is in the most difficult situations when only action will be something that perhaps favors us.
18. As a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be mistaken for his word.
With the use of lies, a politician can seize power, as citizens we must be very cautious when exercising our right to vote.
19. When I want to know what France thinks, I ask myself.
As the top leader De Gaulle considered himself the very personification of France, everything he ever did was solely for the good of his country.
20. France has no friends, only interests.
International politics is a place where only the strongest survive, something that this famous leader always kept in mind when making his decisions.
21. I respect only those who resist me, but I cannot tolerate them.
For him there were only two types of people, those who were with him and those who were against him. De Gaulle would always respect both but would fight without quarter against the latter.
22. Gentlemen, I am ready for the questions to my answers.
He was a leader who was not afraid to debate, he was always very clear that he would do what was best for his nation.
23. At the root of our civilization, there is the freedom of each person of thought, belief, opinion, work, leisure.
Individual liberties must always be respected, otherwise the nation in which we find ourselves would not be really fighting for the interests of its citizens.
24. When I'm right, I get angry. Churchill gets angry when he's wrong. We are mad at each other most of the time.
During the Second World War, conflicts never ceased to surface, the political climate of the time did not favor nations being able to reach agreements.
25. A man of character finds a special appeal in difficulty.
The big setbacks are the ones that really test us, we must never let them break our will.
26. Whatever happens, the flame of the French resistance must not and will not be extinguished. Tomorrow, like today, I will speak on Radio London.
He always knew that France would resist, with time and perseverance the waters would undoubtedly return to normal.
27. Genius is sometimes knowing when to stop.
We must never approach a complicated situation without first preparing for it, on certain occasions we must always stop, to be able to think clearly about our next move.
28. I have tried to pull France out of the mud. But she will return to the bugs and vomit from her. I can't help the French being French.
French society is very complex and diverse, we could say that France is a nation where it never rains to everyone's liking.
29. No country without an atomic bomb could be considered properly independent.
Nuclear power created in the past a clear division between the most powerful nations, in De Gaulle's opinion, France should be in possession of the atomic bomb as soon as possible.
30. Let us be firm, pure and faithful; At the end of our pain, there is the greatest glory in the world, that of the men who did not give up.
The speeches of this general were truly inspiring for his troops, without them possibly French society would never have been able to resist the plunder they suffered from the Germans.
31. you will live Only the best are killed.
A very harsh phrase with which you are general, pays a clear tribute to all those great men who died in defense of their country.
32. No, I'm not talking about the Russians; I mean the Germans.
France suffered heavy casualties as a result of being invaded by Germany, a fact that the French later tried to make up for at the Nuremberg trials.
33. You have to wait until the afternoon to see what a splendid day it was; life cannot be judged until death.
A person's life must be judged as a whole, while we are still alive we can always do great things with it.
34. Character is the virtue of hard times.
Only the strongest prove to be prepared for the hardest times, most people simply could never bear to be immersed in a war.
35. I have listened to your points of view. They don't harmonize with mine. The decision is made unanimously.
The opinions of others always deserve to be heard, but in practice they do not have to change what we think about a certain topic.
36. Politics, when it is an art and a service, not exploitation, is about acting for an ideal through realities.
Politics should always be due to the welfare of the society it represents, those representatives who do not follow this basic principle perhaps should not hold political office.
37. The last laugh didn't get the joke.
A phrase from this famous soldier, which comes to mean the same thing as the well-known phrase: to a good understanding few words are enough.
38. History does not teach fatalism. There are times when the will of a handful of free men breaks determinism and opens new paths.
A few men are capable of making great changes, as individuals we must always remain faithful to our ideals.
39. Never give up the initiative.
No one should ever decide for us, if this ever happened, we would most likely be harmed.
40. It is not tolerable, it is not possible, that from so much death, so much sacrifice and ruin, so much heroism, a greater and better humanity does not emerge.
From all difficult situations, society always tends to come out stronger, but unfortunately today, we know for sure that this does not always end up happening.
41. Difficulty attracts the man of character because it is by embracing it that he realizes himself.
The great difficulties are those that allow us to show others what we really are made of.
42. Greatness is a path that leads into the unknown.
If we want to achieve greatness we must be brave and daring, otherwise luck will never favor us.
43. The leader must aim high, see big, judge broad, separating himself from ordinary people who debate in narrow confines.
Only those who demonstrate the greatest worth should become leaders, leadership is a position of such importance that it should never be achieved lightly.
44. Because glory is delivered only to those who have always dreamed of it.
If we do not dream big, we will never achieve great goals, because in order to achieve them we must first have imagined them a thousand times.
45. You start by giving your hat, then you give your coat, then your shirt, then your fur, and finally your soul.
No one should take away the right to be ourselves, the state is an entity that can undoubtedly demand many things from us, but never our dignity.
46. Yes, it is Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals, it is Europe, it is all of Europe, which will decide the fate of the world.
Europe is the cradle of Western civilization and during World War II, all of it was at stake. If things had happened differently, the current world would not be as we know it.
47. While ordinary officers must be content to behave properly in front of their men, great leaders have always carefully managed their effects.
Great military leaders are truly rare men, but when they appear they can be truly decisive during the course of a battle.
48. To become the master, the politician poses as the servant.
The politician will always try to use his cunning to gain control of a nation, as voters we must know how to discern between the lies and truths that they will use during their speeches.
49. Diplomats are useful only in good weather. As soon as it rains they drown in every drop.
In the most difficult situations, diplomats are often quickly outmatched, as this celebrated former leader never had much faith in them.
50. There can be no other criteria, no other standard than gold. Yes, gold that never changes, that can be formed into ingots, bars, coins, that has no nationality and that is eternally and universally accepted as the unalterable fiduciary value par excellence.
Gold is considered by most investors as a refuge value, as it has shown over the years that it never loses its value. Gold is an investment with which in the long term we can never go wrong.
51. Don't ask me who has influenced me. A lion is made of the lambs that he has digested, and I have been reading all my life.
Reading was a hobby which greatly helped him in his intellectual development, a very beneficial practice that many of us could also emulate today.
52. Only danger can unite the French.
The French had to unite against a common enemy, at that time there was no decision-making power, it was simply now or never.
53. I always thought it was Jeanne d'Arc and Bonaparte. How little you know yourself.
The great French heroes always inspired him, in them this general found powerful figures that he could try to imitate.
54. Authority does not work without prestige, or prestige without distance.
In De Gaulle's opinion, a leader must always be an inaccessible person, since the The population must think at all times that its leader is capable of fixing any kind of situation. An aura of mysticism that being close men we could never project.
55. The perfection preached in the gospels never built an empire. Every man of action has a strong dose of selfishness, pride, toughness and cunning.
In this quote, De Gaulle tells us about the qualities that every good soldier must possess, because in his opinion, only the toughest men would manage to leave the battlefield unscathed.
56. I predict that he will sink step by step into a bottomless quagmire, no matter how much he spends in men and money.
Some wars simply cannot be won, no matter how many resources we decide to put into them. Something that the Americans discovered during the famous Vietnam War.
57. The Jews remain what they have always been: an elite, self-confident and dominant people.
The Jews have always been a deeply misunderstood people, a fact that becomes clear and obvious when we see the heinous acts they had to undergo in those years.
58. Treaties are like roses and young girls. They last while they last.
During the Second World War many treaties were broken, unfortunately the personal ambition of some people inevitably led them to destroy them.
59. Governing is always choosing between disadvantages.
The ruler of a nation will always come up against the most difficult decisions to make and that is why only the most prepared people should be eligible for said position.
60. The desire for privilege and the taste for equality are the dominant and contradictory passions of the French of all time.
Ambition is something that very commonly tends to corrupt people, an unwanted emotion that many French people have unfortunately also experienced at one time or another in history.
61. France cannot be France without greatness.
France is without a doubt a great nation, an ancient and historical country that will undoubtedly always fight against all the adversities that life can throw at it.
62. A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot comprehend but which keeps his audience excited and breathless.
If we want to be more successful, we must learn not to show all our cards in advance, on certain occasions we must wait for the moment that is most propitious for us to be able to act.
63. The future does not belong to men.
The future can be very bright for humanity, always clear that we learn to collaborate with each other.
64. Faced with a crisis, the man of character resorts to himself. He imposes his own stamp of action, takes responsibility for it, makes it his own.
The most difficult situations can bring out the best and the worst in ourselves, something that happens very often in wars.
65. Victory often goes to the army that makes the smallest mistake, not the most brilliant plan.
Mistakes in battle can end up destroying the most elaborate plan, which is why, as De Gaulle tells us in this quote, the important thing in battle is not to make mistakes.
66. My dear old country, here we are once more together in the face of an ordeal.
Under his exceptional command, the French would never admit defeat, because in one way or another they would always manage to stay at the foot of the canyon.
67. The leader is always alone in the face of bad fate.
When the time comes, every leader may have to suffer the worst of luck, because when the greatest adversity manages to find him, there will probably no longer be anyone who can support him.
68. Adversity attracts the man of character. Seek the bitter joy of responsibility.
The most capable men tend to love great challenges, because it is thanks to them that they can shine in their maximum splendor.
69. It is better to have a bad method than to have none.
If we do not have an orderly way of working, we will never be able to succeed in any trade. In any work, order is essential.
70. Do not consider yourself indispensable or infallible.
In war we are all just numbers, our lives can be as insignificant as everyone else's.
71. There can be no prestige without mystery, because familiarity breeds contempt.
If one day we achieve a certain notoriety, we should not let ourselves be seen in public much, because perhaps it is those people with whom we usually rub shoulders, who in the end end up betraying us.
72. The leaders of men are remembered later for the usefulness of what they have achieved than for the extent of their efforts.
Only by reaching great goals can we stand out from the rest, great efforts will not be applauded if we do not achieve anything relevant with them.
73. For all of us French, the guiding rule of our time is to be faithful to France.
Only by being faithful to her nation would France be able to prevail, something that all the French people gladly did during World War II.
74. In the tumult of men and events, loneliness was my temptation; now he is my friend. What other satisfaction is there to seek once you have confronted the story?
Sometimes it is much better to be alone than in bad company, something that Charles de Gaulle no doubt learned over time.
75. I am a man who belongs to no one and who belongs to everyone.
As head of government, he always considered himself a man of the people, all his works during his lifetime were always for the benefit of the people.
