100+ Best Ever Napoleon Quotes From The French Military Leader

Supriya Jain
Dec 12, 2023 By Supriya Jain
Originally Published on Mar 14, 2021
Edited by Luca Demetriou
Portrait of Napoleon in the historical
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Age: 0-99
Read time: 11.6 Min

Napoleon Bonaparte is considered as one of the greatest military leaders of all times and was one of the key leaders who played an important role during the French Revolution.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader. He rose to eminence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars.

Napoleon also was strong follower of Jesus Christ and said that, “Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love: and at this hour millions of men would die for him”. Napoleon’s last words were,  “La France, l’armée, tête d’armée, Joséphine” (“France, the army, head of the army, Joséphine”).

So, without wasting any more time let’s take a look at some of the best quotes by Napoleon Bonaparte for you to read and enjoy.

If you like this article, check out these Augustus Caesar quotes and Elizabeth I quotes.

Best Napoleon Quotes About Soldiers

He was the Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814, and was elected again in 1815. Here are some best Napoleon quotes about power and famous Napoleon quotes for you. You'll find Napoleon's famous words on time here, too, so read on!

Tired knight in the plate armor

1. “A revolution can be neither made nor stopped. The only thing that can be done is for one of several of its children to give it a direction by dint of victories.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

2. “The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

3. “The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree with you and are too cowardly to let you know.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

4. “History is a set of lies agreed upon.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

5. “A true man hates no one.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

6. “If I had not been born Napoleon, I would have liked to have been born Alexander.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

7. “There is one kind of robber whom the law does not strike at, and who steals what is most precious to men: time.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

8. “Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

9. “In politics... never retreat, never retract... never admit a mistake.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

10. “In politics stupidity is not a handicap.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

11. “Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

12. “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

13. “A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

14. “The World is not ruined by the wickedness of the wicked, but by the weakness of the good.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

15. “I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world, and yet they lay their hands on everything they can get.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

16. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

17. “Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

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

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

19. “Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

20. “One should never forbid what one lacks the power to prevent.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

21. “Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

22. “You become strong by defying defeat and by turning loss and failure into success.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

23. “Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools. – Napoleon Bonaparte Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

24. “There are only two forces that unite men – fear and interest.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Leadership Quotes

Napoleon was first the greatest general of the army, then after the war became the first consul of French republic and subsequently became the French emperor.  He is also known for his words and sayings that have inspired people over years. Here is a collection of best napoleon quotes on leadership along with Napoleon motivational quotes from history.  

25. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

26. “If the art of war were nothing but the art of avoiding risks, glory would become the prey of mediocre minds.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

27. “You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

28. “There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

29. “Friends must always be treated as if one day they might be enemies.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

30. “I would kiss a man’s arse if I needed him.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

31. “The art of war is to gain time when your strength is inferior.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

32. “Once you have made up your mind, stick to it; there no longer any ‘if’ or ‘but’.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

33. “Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

34. “Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

35. “The fool has one great advantage over a man of sense; he is always satisfied with himself.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

36. “Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

37. “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

38. “Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

39. “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

40. “Victory belongs to the most persevering.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

41. “There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

42. “Until you spread your wings, you’ll have no idea how far you can fly.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

43. “He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

44. “Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

45. “You become strong by defying defeat and by turning loss and failure into success.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

46. “Men of great ambition have sought happiness and have found fame.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

47. “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

48. “The fool has one great advantage over a man of sense; he is always satisfied with himself.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

49. “Great men are meteors designed to burn so that earth may be lighted.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

50. “There is only one thing in this world, and that is to keep acquiring money and more money, power and more power. All the rest is meaningless.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

51. “Once you have made up your mind, stick to it; there no longer any ‘if’ or ‘but’.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

52. “The greater the man, the less is he opinionative, he depends upon events and circumstances.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

53. “The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

54. “Greatness is nothing unless it is lasting.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Inspirational Quotes

One of the main slogan’s of Napoleon was “Order, Security and Efficiency” and he believed in it too. Here are some of the best Napoleon quotes on Jesus along with Napoleon war quotes.

55. “One must change one’s tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one’s superiority.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

56. “The only victory over love is flight.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

57. “Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals.”  

– Napoleon Bonaparte.

58. “The only conquests which are permanent and leave no regrets are our conquests over ourselves.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

59. “The conscience is the sacred haven of the liberty of man.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

60. “When firmness is sufficient, rashness is unnecessary.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

61. “Among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

62. “The great proof of madness is the disproportion of one's designs to one's means.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

63. “From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

64. “The word impossible is not in my dictionary.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

65. “The stupid speak of the past, the wise of the present, and fools of the future.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

66. “We walk faster when we walk alone.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

67. “Six hours sleep for a man, seven for a woman and eight for a fool.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

68. “In our time none has the conception of what is great. It is up to me to show them.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

69. “God is on the side with the best artillery.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

70. “The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes On Success

Napoleon Bonaparte quotes about success motivate one to take on the army. Along with being General, Emperor Napoleon was famous for his quotes in French. Read on for some of the best Napoleon Bonaparte quotes from the French General/Emperor.

71. “If you wish to be success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

72. “If you build an army of 100 lions and their leader is a dog, in any fight, the lions will die like a dog. But if you build an army of 100 dogs and their leader is a lion, all dogs will fight as a lion.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

73. “Victory is not always winning the battle...but rising every time you fall.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

74. “The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

75. “The only way to lead people is to show them a future: a leader is a dealer in hope.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

76. “The best way to make every one poor is to insist on equality of wealth.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

77. “It is not necessary to bury the truth. It is sufficient merely to delay it until nobody cares.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

78. “Courage isn't having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don't have strength.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

79. “To make yourself understood to people, one must first speak to their eyes.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

80. “You don't reason with intellectuals. You shoot them.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

81. “A celebrated people lose dignity upon a closer view.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

82. “All things proclaim the existence of God.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

83. “The amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

84. “History is written by the winners.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

85. “To have a right estimate of a man's character, we must see him in misfortune.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

86. “Soldiers generally win battle(s); generals get credit for them.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

87. “Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

88. “The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

89. “The battle field is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

90. “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.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

91. “It requires more courage to suffer than to die.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

92. “Ability is nothing without opportunity.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

93. “Imagination rules the world.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Religion Quotes

Let’s take a look at some of the best quotes about religion given by Napoleon Bonaparte.

94. “If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

95. “Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

96. “Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

97. “Religious wars are basically people killing each other over who has the better imaginary friend.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

98. “Man will believe anything, as long as it's not in the Bible.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

99. “The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

100. “I must see her and press her to my heart. I love her to the point of madness, and I cannot continue to be separated from her. If she no longer loved me, I would have nothing left to do on earth.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

101. “I have seen only you, I have admired only you, I desire only you.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

102. “I hope before long to press you in my arms and shall shower on you a million burning kisses as under the Equator.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

103. “Love is the occupation of the idle, the distraction of the soldier, the danger of the monarch.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

104. “No one knows how it is that with one glance a boy can break through into a girl's heart.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Napoleon quotes, then why not take a look at king quotes, or Catherine the Great quotes.

M‍ain image credit: Pack-Shot / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Supriya Jain

Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

Supriya Jain picture

Supriya JainBachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

As a skilled member of the Kidadl team, Shruti brings extensive experience and expertise in professional content writing. With a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Punjab University and an MBA in Business Administration from IMT Nagpur, Shruti has worked in diverse roles such as sales intern, content writer, executive trainee, and business development consultant. Her exceptional writing skills cover a wide range of areas, including SOP, SEO, B2B/B2C, and academic content.

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