LOUIS XIV (QUOTES):
“In every treaty, insert a clause which can be easily violated, so that the entire agreement can be
broken in the case the interests of the state make it expedient to do so.”
“I am the state.”
“I could sooner reconcile all Europe than two women.”
“It is legal because I wish it.”
“Laws are the sovereigns of sovereigns.”
“There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself.”
"I had no intention of sharing my authority."
"I urge you not to forget your duty to God...Try to remain at peace...I loved war too much...Do not
follow me in that, or in overspending...Take advice in everything...Lighten your people's burden as
soon as possible...do what I have had the misfortune not to do..." (upon his deathbed, to Louis XV -Wolf)
"One King, One Law and One Faith."
"One must work hard to reign."
"The interest of the State, must come first."
“Let us sell merchandise to the Spanish and obtain from them gold and silver.”
KING PHILIP II OF SPAIN (QUOTES):
I will not rule over heretics
I would rather reign in a desert than over a country peopled with heretics.
If my son were to oppose the Catholic Church, I myself would carry the torches to burn him.
QUEEN ISABELLA I (QUOTES):
It is but just and reasonable, that since you expose yourself to such danger to serve us, you should
be rewarded for it.
KING FERDINAND (QUOTES):
By the religious peace, Catholic proprietors of estates were no further bound to their Protestant
subjects than to allow them full liberty to quit their territories.
Let justice be done though the world perish.
PETER THE GREAT (QUOTES):
If my advice is lost on the wind and you will not do as I wish, then I do not recognize you as my son....
I see that you go at too lazy a pace in these crucial days to concern yourself with business.... I grow
worried when I see you, the heir to the throne, who are so very useless for the conduct of state
affairs....How often have I not scolded you for this, and not merely scolded you but beaten you... but
nothing has succeeded, nothing is any use, all is to no purpose, all is words spoken to the wind, and
you want to do nothing but sit at home and enjoy yourself....But if you do not change for the better,
understand that I shall deprive you of the succession and cast you off like a gangrened limb.
How I can reach Moscow by the shortest way, in a brief space, so that I may wreak vengeance on
this great perfidy of my people, with punishments worthy of their abominable crime? Not one of them
shall escape with impunity. Around my royal city, which, with their impious efforts, they planned to
destroy, I will have gibbets and gallows set upon the walls and ramparts, and each and every one of
them will I put to a direful death.
“I have conquered an empire but I have not been able to conquer myself.”
CATHERINE THE GREAT (QUOTES):
Russia is a European State. This is clearly demonstrated by the following Observations: The
Alterations which Peter the Great undertook in Russia succeeded with the greater Ease, because the
Manners, which prevailed at that Time, and had been introduced amongst us by a Mixture of different
Nations... Peter the First, by introducing the Manners and Customs of Europe among the European
People in his Dominions, found at that Time such Means as even he himself was not sanguine
enough to expect....
All persons who dare to incite serfs and peasants to disobey their landlords shall be arrested and
taken to the nearest government office, there to be punished forthwith as disturbers of the public
tranquility, according to the laws and without leniency. And should it so happen that even after the
publication of the present decree of Her Imperial Majesty any serfs and peasants should cease to
give the proper obedience to their landlords . . . and should make bold to submit unlawful petitions
complaining of their landlords, and especially to petition Her Imperial Majesty personally, then both
those who make the complaints and those who write up the petitions shall be punished by the knout
and forthwith deported to Nerchinsk to penal servitude for life
We are sufficiently aware of the vast extent of the lands within Our Empire, We perceive, among
other things, that a considerable number of regions are still uncultivated which could easily and
advantageously be made available for productive use of population and settlement. Most of the lands
hold hidden in their depth an inexhaustible wealth of all kinds of precious ores and metals, and
because they are well provided with forests, rivers and lakes, and located close to the sea for
purpose of trade .... We permit all foreigners to come into Our Empire, in order to settle in all the
governments, just as each one may desire.
The foreigners who have settled in Russia shall not be drafted against their will into the military or the
civil service during their entire stay here.
The Usage of Torture is contrary to all the Dictates of Nature and Reason; even Mankind itself cries
out against it, and demands loudly the total Abolition of it.
War has had a beneficial consequence for our industry.
Russia is a European State. This is clearly demonstrated by the following Observations: The
Alterations which Peter the Great undertook in Russia succeeded with the greater Ease, because the
Manners, which prevailed at that Time, and had been introduced amongst us by a Mixture of different
Nations... Peter the First, by introducing the Manners and Customs of Europe among the European
People in his Dominions, found at that Time such Means as even he himself was not sanguine
enough to expect....
The Sovereign is absolute; for there is no other Authority but that which centers in his single Person,
that can act with a Vigour proportionate to the Extent of such a vast Dominion.
The Extent of the Dominion requires an absolute Power to be vested in that Person who rules over it.
It is expedient so to be, that the quick Dispatch of Affairs, sent from distant Parts, might make ample
Amends for the Delay occasioned by the great Distance of the Places.
Every other Form of Government whatsoever would not only have been prejudicial to Russia, but
would even have proved its entire Ruin.
It is better to be subject to the Laws under one Master, than to be subservient to many.
What is the true End of Monarchy? Not to deprive People of their natural Liberty; but to correct their
Actions, in order to attain the supreme Good.
The Form of Government, therefore, which best attains this End, and at the same Time sets less
Bounds than others to natural Liberty, is that which coincides with the Views and Purposes of rational
Creatures, and answers the End, upon which we ought to fix a steadfast Eye in the Regulations of
civil Polity.
The Intention and the End of Monarchy, is the Glory of the Citizens, of the State, and of the
Sovereign. But, from this Glory, a Sense of Liberty arises in a People governed by a Monarch; which
may produce in these States as much Energy in transacting the most important Affairs, and may
contribute as much to the Happiness of the Subjects, as even Liberty itself....
The Laws ought to be so framed, as to secure the Safety of every Citizen as much as possible.
The Equality of the Citizens consists in this; that they should all be subject to the same Laws.
This Equality requires Institutions so well adapted, as to prevent the Rich from oppressing those who
are not so wealthy as themselves, and converting all the Charges and Employments intrusted to them
as Magistrates only, to their own private Emolument....
In a State or Assemblage of People that live together in a Community, where there are Laws, Liberty
can only consist in doing that which every One ought to do, and not to be constrained to do that which
One ought not to do.
A Man ought to form in his own Mind an exact and clear Idea of what Liberty is. Liberty is the Right of
doing whatsoever the Laws allow: And if any one Citizen could do what the Laws forbid, there would
be no more Liberty; because others would have an equal Power of doing the same.
The political Liberty of a Citizen is the Peace of Mind arising from the Consciousness, that every
Individual enjoys his peculiar Safety; and in order that the People might attain this Liberty, the Laws
ought to be so framed, that no one Citizen should stand in Fear of another; but that all of them should
stand in Fear of the same Laws....
The Usage of Torture is contrary to all the Dictates of Nature and Reason; even Mankind itself cries
out against it, and demands loudly the total Abolition of it.
That Law, therefore, is highly beneficial to the Community where it is established, which ordains that
every Man shall be judged by his Peers and Equals. For when the Fate of a Citizen is in Question, all
Prejudices arising from the Difference of Rank or Fortune should be stifled; because they ought to
have no Influence between the Judges and the Parties accused.
No Man ought to be looked upon as guilty, before he has received his judicial Sentence; nor can the
Laws deprive him of their Protection, before it is proved that he has forfeited all Right to it. What Right
therefore can Power give to any to inflict Punishment upon a Citizen at a Time, when it is yet dubious,
whether he is Innocent or guilty?
A Society of Citizens, as well as every Thing else, requires a certain fixed Order: There ought to be
some to govern, and others to obey. And this is the Origin of every Kind of Subjection; which feels
itself more or less alleviated, in Proportion to the Situation of the Subjects.And, consequently, as the
Law of Nature commands Us to take as much Care, as lies in Our Power, of the Prosperity of all the
People; we are obliged to alleviate the Situation of the Subjects, as much as sound Reason will
permit. And therefore, to shun all Occasions of reducing People to a State of Slavery, except the
utmost Necessity should inevitably oblige us to do it; in that Case, it ought not to be done for our own
Benefit; but for the Interest of the State: Yet even that Case is extremely uncommon. Of whatever
Kind Subjection may be, the civil Laws ought to guard, on the one Hand, against the Abuse of
Slavery, and, on the other, against the Dangers which may arise from it.
It seems too, that the Method of exacting their Revenues, newly invented by the Lords, diminishes
both the Inhabitants, and the Spirit of Agriculture in Russia. Almost all the Villages are heavily taxed.
The Lords, who seldom or never reside in their Villages, lay an Impost on every Head of one, two,
and even five Rubles, without the least Regard to the Means by which their Peasants may be able to
raise this Money.
It is highly necessary that the Law should prescribe a Rule to the Lords, for a more judicious Method
of raising their Revenues; and oblige them to levy such a Tax, as tends least to separate the Peasant
from his House and Family; this would be the Means by which Agriculture would become more
extensive, and Population be more increased in the Empire.
The Governing Senate. . . has deemed it necessary to make known... that the landlords' serfs and
peasants . . . owe their landlords proper submission and absolute obedience in all matters, according
to the laws that have been enacted from time immemorial by the autocratic forefathers of Her Imperial
Majesty and which have not been repealed, and which provide that all persons who dare to incite
serfs and peasants to disobey their landlords shall be arrested and taken to the nearest government
office, there to be punished forthwith as disturbers of the public tranquillity, according to the laws and
without leniency. And should it so happen that even after the publication of the present decree of Her
Imperial Majesty any serfs and peasants should cease to give the proper obedience to their landlords
. . . and should make bold to submit unlawful petitions complaining of their landlords, and especially
to petition Her Imperial Majesty personally, then both those who make the complaints and those who
write up the petitions shall be punished by the knout and forthwith deported to Nerchinsk to penal
servitude for life and shall be counted as part of the quota of recruits which their landlords must
furnish to the army. And in order that people everywhere may know of the present decree, it shall be
read in all the churches on Sundays and holy days for one month after it is received and therafter
once every year during the great church festivals, lest anyone pretend ignorance.
TOKUGAWA IEYASU (QUOTES):
To come to know your enemy, first you must become his friend, and once you become his friend, all
his defences come down. Then you can choose the most fitting method for his demise.
"Give the peasants neither life nor death."
"Life means that I can live to see tomorrow."
"When you go into the country hawking, you learn to understand the military spirit and also the hard
life of the lower classes. You exercise your muscles and train your limbs. You have any amount of
walking and running and become quite indifferent to heat and cold, and so you are little likely to suffer
from any illness."
"Life is like unto a long journey with a heavy burden. Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou
stumble not. Persuade thyself that imperfection and inconvenience are the natural lot of mortals, and
there will be no room for discontent, neither for despair. When ambitious desires arise in thy heart,
recall the days of extremity thou has passed through. Forbearance is the root of quietness and
assurance forever. Look upon the wrath of the enemy. If thou knowest only what it is to conquer, and
knowest not what it is like to be defeated, woe unto thee; it will fare ill with thee. Find fault with thyself
rather than with others."
"The strong manly ones in life are those who understand the meaning of the word patience. Patience
means restraining one's inclinations. There are seven emotions: joy, anger, anxiety, love, grief, fear,
and hate, and if a man does not give way to these he can be called patient. I am not as strong as I
might be, but I have long known and practiced patience. And if my descendants wish to be as I am,
they must study patience."
EMPEROR KANGXI (QUOTES)
These rebellious renegades have sinned against heaven .... Their iniquities cannot be removed even
by having their body sawn in pieces.
SULEIMAN (QUOTES):
“I know of no state which is happier than this one. It is furnished with all of god’s gifts. It
controls war and peace with all. It is rich in gold, in people, in ships, and in obedience. No state
can be compared with it. May God long preserve the most just of emperors.”
–
A Vietnamese Ambassador on Suleiman and his empire.
KING JOAO III (QUOTES):
John III declared every male subject between 20 and 65 years old recruitable on 7 August 1549.
"Every nobleman, like all my servants and those who are not, and every knight, squire, servants of
mine, my brothers, and any other person that might have them [horses], I order them to have the
horses ready."
John III refused to abandon all of the Portuguese North African strongholds, but he had to make
choices: "To want to have such a costly thing, and from which there came no profits wasn’t wise,
mainly for who had so great expenditures and so huge and necessary, that cannot be stopped."
John III decided to abandon his fortresses because "to face the new military techniques, imposed by
the generalization of heavy artillery, combined with light fire weapons and blades" was more than he
proposed to lose.
John III comments on one of his royal agents: He welcomes those who come from foreign parts; he
receives them with good will, and serves me well, and delights to do all I order.
HENRY VIII QUOTES
I have chief charge of you under God, both of your souls and bodies.
"We are, by the sufferance of God, King of England; and the Kings of England in times past never
had any superior but God."
"if further rising are attempted we must immediately attack with all force and extremity destroy, burn
and kill, man, woman, and child, who are the terrible example of all others"
“Remember your duty of allegiance, and that ye are bound to obey us, your King, both by God's
commandment and law of nature.”
“or put yourselves, your lives and wives, children, lands, goods and chattels, besides the indignation
of God, in the utter adventure of total destruction and utter ruin by force and violence of the sword"
FREDERICK WILLIAM I (QUOTES):
Wars ruin armies.
MARIA THERESA (QUOTES):
Know, sir, that the first place in the empire is mine. From God I hold my power and my crown, and I
depute them to no man--I alone reign in Austria.
This unfortunate partition of Poland, is costing me ten years of my life. It will make plain the whole
unhappy history of that affair. How many times have I refused to agree to it! But disaster after disaster
heaped upon us by the Turks; misery, famine, and pestilence at home; no hope of assistance either
from France or England, and the prospect of being left isolated and threatened with a war both with
Russia and Prussia,---it was all these considerations that finally forced me to accede to that unhappy
proposal, which will remain a blot on my whole reign.
FREDERICK THE GREAT (FREDERICK II) (QUOTES):
Princes, sovereigns, and king have not been given supreme authority in order to live in luxurious selfindulgence and debauchery. They have not been elevated by their fellow-men to enable them to strut
about and to insult with their pride the simple-mannered, the poor, and the suffering. They have not
been placed at the head of the State to keep around themselves a crowd of idle loafers whose
uselessness drives them towards vice.
The bad administration which may be found in monarchies springs from many different causes, but
their principal cause lies in the character of the sovereign.
He [the sovereign of a country] is guilty if he wastes the money of the people, the taxes which they
have paid, in luxury, pomp, and debauchery. He who should improve the morals of the people, be the
guardian of the law, and improve their education should not pervert them by his bad example.
Catholics, Lutherans, Reformed, Jews and other Christian sects live in this state, and live together in
peace. If the sovereign, actuated by a mistaken zeal, declares himself for one religion or another,
parties spring up, heated disputes ensue, little by little persecutions will commence and, in the end,
the religion persecuted will leave the fatherland, and millions of subjects will enrich our neighbors by
their skill and industry.
A well conducted government must have an underlying concept so well integrated that it could be
likened to a system of philosophy. All actions taken must be well reasoned, and all financial, political
and military matters must flow towards one goal, which is the strengthening of the state and the
furthering of its power.
Is it better that a nation should perish, or that a sovereign should break his treaty? Who can be stupid
enough to hesitate in answering this question?
My people and I have come to an agreement that satisfies us both: They are to say what they please,
and I am to do as I please.
The sovereign is the foremost judge, general, financier, and minister of his country, not merely for the
sake of his prestige. Therefore, he should perform with care the duties connected with these offices.
He is merely the principal servant of the State.
All religion must be tolerated, for this way everyone may get to Heaven in his own way.
No government can exist without taxation.... This money must of necessity be levied on the people;
and the grand art consists in levying so as not to oppress.
By the will of Fate wealth influences everything. Rulers are slaves of their means.
Diplomacy without arms is music without instruments.
Rulers should always remind themselves that they are men like the least of their subjects.
The preservation of the laws was the sole reason which induced men to allow of, and to elect a
superior; that is the true origin of sovereign power.
With respect to the true monarchical government, it is the best or the worst of all others, accordingly
as it is administered.
The violation of a treaty is often the only means whereby complete ruin can be avoided.
The one time the Habsburg family produces a real man, it is a woman! I always respected her and
She brought honor to her gender."