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21 " As for moral courage, it is very rare, he said, to find that kind found at 2 o'clock in the morning; that is to say, courage in the face of the unexpected. "
― Napoléon Bonaparte
22 " The surest way to remain poor is to be honest. "
23 " Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action comes, stop thinking and go in. "
24 " In our time no one has the conception of what is great. It is up to me to show them. "
25 " The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence; and the great welcome them out of vanity or need. "
26 " The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance. "
27 " I often asked Laplace what he thought of God. He owned that he was an atheist. "
28 " Water, air, and cleanness are the chief articles in my pharmacy. "
29 " There is no place in a fanatic's head where reason can enter. "
30 " Men of learning in Milan have not enjoyed proper respect. They hid themselves in their laboratories and thought themselves lucky if . . . priests left them alone. All is changed today. Thought in Italy is free. Inquisition, intolerance, despots have vanished. I invite scholars to meet and propose what must be done to give science and the arts a new flowering. "
― Napoléon Bonaparte , Correspondance générale, Tome I: Les apprentissages, 1784-1797
31 " Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. "
32 " Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues. "
33 " Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him. "
34 " Men of great ambition have sought happiness . . . and have found fame. "
35 " I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world, and yet they lay hands on everything they can get. "
36 " Ability is of little account without opportunity. "
37 " It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr. "
38 " If you want a thing done well, do it yourself. "
39 " He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat. "
40 " A cowardly act! What do I care about that? You may be sure that I should never fear to commit one if it were to my advantage. "