Frederick the Great

"I have resolved never to start an unjust war, but never to end a just one except by conquest."

"A prince who loves his people and is loved by them is never in danger of rebellion."

"The more you own, the more it owns you."

"I am the first servant of the state."

"Great things can be achieved only through great effort."

"Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments."

"Religion is the idol of reason."

"The greatest kings have used barbarity and cruelty toward those they wished to oppress."

"My people and I have come to an agreement which satisfies us both. They are to do what I please, and I am to do what they please."

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend."

"Genius is patience."

"Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch."

"I must have my tombstone read: 'Here lies Frederick, who had only the passion for glory.'"

"A rational man cannot panegyrize irrational customs."

"Audacity, audacity, and more audacity!"

"God is always on the side of the big battalions."

"There are no victories without courage."

"One must change one's tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one's superiority."

"The most dangerous moment comes with victory."

"The King is merely the first servant of the state."

"In these days of confusion and calamity, the greatest obligation is that of the first servant of the state."

"Every man is his own ancestor, and every man his own heir."

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

"What a nuisance that children cannot be born at the age of twenty."

"I prefer my chocolate hot, my coffee in the morning, and my cider in the afternoon."

"I am growing old, and I am grateful for it."

"Politics is the art of the possible."

"To kill a man is murder. To kill millions is a statistic."

"I love peace above all."

"The more you reflect, the more you understand."