42 Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes on Leadership

Napoleon Bonaparte quotes on leadership

3. From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.

9. France is invaded; I am leaving to take command of my troops, and, with God's help and their valor, I hope soon to drive the enemy beyond the frontier.

11. The Allied Powers having proclaimed that the Emperor Napoleon is the sole obstacle to the re-establishment of peace in Europe, he, faithful to his oath, declares that he is ready to descend from the throne, to quit France, and even to relinquish life, for the good of his country.

16. I may have had many projects, but I never was free to carry out any of them. It did me little good to be holding the helm; no matter how strong my hands, the sudden and numerous waves were stronger still, and I was wise enough to yield to them rather than resist them obstinately and make the ship founder. Thus I never was truly my own master but was always ruled by circumstances.

20. Muhammad was a great man, fearless soldier; with a handful of men he triumphed at the battle of Badr, great captain, eloquent, a great man of state, it regenerated his homeland, and created in the middle of the deserts of Arabia a new people and a new power.

22. Morality has nothing to do with such a man as I am.

29. More glorious to merit a sceptre than to possess one.

35. A great reserve and severity of manners are necessary for the command of those who are older than ourselves.

36. A king is sometimes obliged to commit crimes; but they are the crimes of his position.

37. A King should sacrifice the best affections of his heart for the good of his country; no sacrifice should be above his determination.

44. A leader is a dealer in hope.

45. A man does not have himself killed for a half-pence a day or for a petty distinction; you must speak to the soul in order to electrify him.

47. A man like me troubles himself little about the lives of a million men

59. An army of sheep, led by a lion, is better than an army of lions, led by a sheep.[1]

60. An emperor confides his trust in National Soldiers, not in mercenaries.

85. Great ambition is the passion of a great character. He who is endowed with it may perform either very great actions or very bad ones; all depends upon the principles which direct him.

88. He who is unmoved by tears has no heart.

91. I accept I might be defeated, but caught in surprise, never.

93. I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one or the other. (Idea originally conceptualized by Machiavelli in The Prince)

95. I can no longer obey; I have tasted command, and I cannot give it up.

96. I feel as if I am being driven towards an unknown goal. As soon as it is attained and there will no longer be any use for me, an atom will be sufficient to annihilate me; but until then, all human efforts whether in Paris or in the army will be powerless to prevail against me.

97. If you start to take Vienna - take Vienna.

102. I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.

103. I made all my generals out of mud.

124. It would have been better for the peace of France if this man had never existed.

132. Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.

134. One must change one's tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one's superiority.

138. Popes have committed too many absurdities to create a belief in their infallibility.

139. Power is founded on opinion.

141. Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly consult.

151. Stupidity is not a handicap in politics.

152. Such work as mine is not done twice in a century. I saved the Revolution as it lay dying, I have cleansed it of its crimes and have held it up to the people shining with fame. I inspired France and Europe with new ideas which will never be forgotten.

157. The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies.

163. The guilt of many men may be traced to over-affection for their wives.

164. The heart of a minister should be nowhere but in his head.

172. The revolution is over. I am the Revolution

173. The spectacle of a field of battle after the combat is sufficient to inspire princes with the love of peace and the horror of war.

185. They think I am stern, even hardhearted. So much the better- this makes it unnecessary for me to justify my reputation. My firmness is taken for callousness. I shall not complain, since this notion is responsible for the good order that is prevailing, so that there is nothing that needs to be repressed.

187. To extraordinary circumstances we must apply extraordinary remedies.

199. We must not take up arms for vain prospects of grandeur, nor the allurements of conquest.

201. We walk faster when we walk alone.

210. In early life he may have been a sincere republican; but he hated anarchy and disorder, and, before his campaign in Italy was over, he had begun to plan to make himself ruler of France. He worked systematically to transform the people's earlier ardor for liberty into a passion for military glory and plunder.