Charles Maurice de Talleyrand quotes

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She is such a good friend that she would throw all her acquaintances into the water for the pleasure of fishing them out again.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Army

Sheep

Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Love

Devil

Hell

Love of glory can only create a great hero; contempt of glory creates a great man.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Merit, however inconsiderable, should be sought for and rewarded. Methods are the master of masters.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Merit

Mistrust first impulses; they are nearly always good.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

First

Impulses

Mistrust

Ones reputation is like a shadow, it is gigantic when it precedes you, and a pigmy in proportion when it follows.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Reputation

Shadow

What clever man has ever needed to commit a crime? Crime is the last resort of political half-wits.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Crime

Man

Since the masses are always eager to believe something, for their benefit nothing is so easy to arrange as facts.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Facts

Nothing

Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

The art of statesmanship is to foresee the inevitable and to expedite its occurrence.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Art

Statesmanship

The bold defiance of a woman is the certain sign of her shame, - when she has once ceased to blush, it is because she has too much to blush for.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

The reputation of a man is like his shadow, gigantic when it precedes him, and pigmy in its proportions when it follows.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Man

Reputation

Shadow

Without freedom of the press, there can be no representative government.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Government

Freedom

Press

To succeed in the world, it is much more necessary to possess the penetration to discern who is a fool, than to discover who is a clever man.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand