22 Quotes by Cardinal Richelieu
Cardinal Richelieu, a towering figure in French history, was a powerful clergyman and statesman during the 17th century. Serving as the chief minister to King Louis XIII, he wielded significant influence and effectively centralized the monarchy's power. Known for his political brilliance and shrewd diplomacy, Richelieu skillfully navigated the complex web of European politics, ensuring France's position as a dominant player on the continent.
He played a crucial role in curtailing the power of the nobility, strengthening the authority of the king, and promoting religious unity in a time marked by religious conflict. Richelieu's legacy is intertwined with his contributions to the development of the French nation-state and the modernization of its institutions. Though he faced opposition and criticism during his lifetime, his impact on French politics and governance remains indelible, and he is remembered as a key architect of France's rise to prominence in the early modern era.
Cardinal Richelieu Quotes
If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.
Harshness towards individuals who flout the laws and commands of the state is for the public good; no greater crime against the public interest is possible than to show leniency to those who violate it.
Friendship is the medicine for all misfortune; but ingratitude dries up the fountain of all goodness.
Reason must be the universal rule and guide; all things must be done according to reason without allowing oneself to be swayed by emotion.
Had Luther and Calvin been confined before they had begun to dogmatize, the states would have been spared many troubles.
First, all means to conciliate; failing that, all means to crush.
If God forbade drinking, would He have made wine so good?
A single word has sometimes lost or won an empire.
Nothing so upholds the laws as the punishment of persons whose rank is as great as their crime.
Give me six lines written by the most honorable person alive, and I shall find enough in them to condemn them to the gallows.
Deception is the knowledge of kings.
Never write a letter and never destroy one.
Nothing is as dangerous for the state as those who would govern kingdoms with maxims found in books.
To know how to dissemble is the knowledge of kings.
One must believe neither the people of the palace, who ordinarily measure the power of the king by the shape of his crown, which, being round, has no end, nor those who, in the excesses of an indiscreet zeal, proclaim themselves openly as partisans of Rome.
To mislead a rival, deception is permissable; one may use all means against his enemies.
I have the consolation of leaving your kingdom in the highest degree of glory and of reputation.
A virtuous and well-disposed person, like a good metal, the more he is fired, the more he is fined; the more he is opposed, the more he is approved: wrongs may well try him, and touch him, but cannot imprint in him any false stamp.
I have never had any enemies other than those of the state.
Not the least of the qualities that go into the making of a great ruler is the ability of letting others serve him.
When people are too comfortable, it is not possible to restrain them within the bounds of their duty? They may be compared to mules who, being accustomed to burdens, are spoilt by rest rather than labour.
Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of state.
Carry on any enterprise as if all future success depended on it.
― Cardinal Richelieu Quotes
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