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Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes
(also known as: Napoleon; Napoleon I)
French general and Emperor
(1769-1821)



"Soldiers, think that from the summit of these pyramids, forty centuries look down upon you."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, in a speech to the Army of Egypt before the Battle of the Pyramids, 1798

"China? There lies a sleeping giant. Let him sleep! For when he wakes he will move the world.
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, c. 1800, attributed

"A nation must have a religion, and that religion must be under the control of the government."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, 1801

"It [the Channel] is a mere ditch, and will be crossed as soon as someone has the courage to attempt it.
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, 1803

"I want the whole of Europe to have one currency; it will make trading much easier."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, 1807

"In war, three-quarters turns on morale; the balance of manpower and materials counts only for the remaining quarter."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, 1808

"There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, after the retreat from Moscow in 1812

"An army marches on its stomach."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, 1816, attributed

"England is a nation of shopkeepers."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile in Elba










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