Frederick the Great

"Brevity is the soul of wit."

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."

"The only death that matters is the one that comes to those who die standing."

"I would rather be feared than pitied."

"A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing."

"Every breath is an opportunity to change your life."

"The man who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

"A leader must be a master of the art of deception, for without it, he cannot rule effectively."

"I have resolved never to start an unjust war, but also never to finish a just one imperfectly."

"The greatest kings are those who can laugh at themselves."

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they will never desert you."

"To know oneself is to improve oneself through constant reflection and honest appraisal."

"A man who fears nothing is more dangerous than a man who fears everything."

"The crown does not make the king; the king makes the crown worthy."

"I love humanity, but I hate humans who betray my trust."

"Every moment wasted is a moment stolen from your destiny."

"The beauty of music lies not in perfection, but in the passion with which it is played."

"A philosopher-king must sometimes act as a tyrant to preserve the state."

"Flattery is the art of making someone feel exactly as they already feel about themselves."

"I have no use for a general who shows me a map with no blood on it."

"Solitude teaches what crowds can never teach."

"To be great, one must first master the discipline of being small and humble."

"Nature provides all we need; it is human greed that creates poverty."

"The true test of courage is not the absence of fear, but action despite it."

"My dogs are more honest than my courtiers."

"Knowledge without action is merely philosophy; action without knowledge is merely folly."

"To change the world, one must first change oneself."

"The pen is mightier than the sword, yet I have always kept both close."

"Patience is not weakness; it is the ultimate expression of strength."

"Every artist is a thief who steals from the masters before him."