In the tumult of men and events, solitude was my temptation; now it is my friend. What other satisfaction can be sought once you have confronted History?
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Solitude
Old age is a shipwreck.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Age, Old Age, Aging
Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Action
To govern is always to choose among disadvantages.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: One liners, Government
Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: One liners, Authority, Control
How can one conceive of a one-party system in a country that has over two hundred varieties of cheese?
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Government
History does not teach fatalism. There are moments when the will of a handful of free men breaks through determinism and opens up new roads.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Freedom
France has lost the battle but she has not lost the war
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Battle
Greatness is a road leading towards the unknown
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Greatness
For glory gives herself only to those who have always dreamed of her.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Glory
France has lost a battle. But France has not lost the war.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Conflict
Since a politician never believes what he says, he is surprised when others believe him.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Politics, Politicians
Every man of action has a strong dose of egoism, pride, hardness, and cunning. But all those things will be regarded as high qualities if he can make them the means to achieve great ends.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Action
I grew up to always respect authority and respect those in charge.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Authority, Control
No nation has friends only interests
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Nation
Nothing more enhances authority than silence. It is the crowning 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.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Authority, Silence
Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Determination, Achievement, Accomplishment
When I am right, I get angry. Churchill gets angry when he is wrong. So we were often angry at each other.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Anger
The graveyards are full of indispensable men.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Humility
A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Character
Diplomats are useful only in fair weather. As soon as it rains they drown in every drop.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Diplomacy, Weather
Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Patriotism
Church is the only place where someone speaks to me and I do not have to answer back.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Religion, Churches
The sword is the axis of the world, and grandeur is indivisible.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: World
In politics it is necessary either to betray one’s country or the electorate. I prefer to betray the electorate.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Betrayal
Leaders of men are later remembered less for the usefulness of what they have achieved than for the sweep of their endeavors.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Leadership
How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese?
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Teamwork, Government
Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back on himself. He imposes his own stamp of action, takes responsibility for it, makes it his own.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Self-reliance, Confidence, Character, Crises
I respect only those who resist me, but I cannot tolerate them.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Opposition, Respect, Dissent
Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.
—Charles de Gaulle
Topics: Weapon, Silence, One liners
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
- Dwight D. Eisenhower American Head of State
- Georges Clemenceau French Head of State
- Maurice Chevalier French Actor
- Jean-Paul Sartre French Philosopher
- Georges Bernanos French Novelist, Polemicist
- Jacques Cousteau French Underwater Explorer
- Napoleon I Emperor of France
- Benito Mussolini Italian Head of State
- Franklin D. Roosevelt American Head of State
- Neville Chamberlain British Head of State
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