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Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand
French statesman, 1754-1838
Most Popular
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand
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Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.
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Nothing succeeds so well as success
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War is much too serious a thing to be left to military
men
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Mistrust first impulses; they are nearly always good.
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Talleyrand’s warning to his protégés, "Above all, not too much zeal!"
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Since the masses are always eager to believe something, for
their benefit nothing is so easy to arrange as facts.
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Too much sensibility creates unhappiness and too much insensibility
creates crime.
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A court is an assembly of noble and distinguished beggars.
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The art of statesmanship is to foresee the inevitable and
to expedite its occurrence.
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War is much too serious a thing to be left to military men
- This is the beginning of the end (on the outcome of the battle of Borodino
1812)
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One's reputation is like a shadow, it is gigantic when it precedes
you, and a pigmy in proportion when it follows
- I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100
lions led by a sheep.
- Love of glory can only create a great hero; contempt of glory creates a
great man.
- 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.
All quotes
Admonition to junior diplomats: "Above all, gentlemen,
not too much zeal. "
Nothing succeeds so well as success
Speech is a faculty given to man to conceal his thoughts.
The art of statesmanship is to foresee the inevitable and
to expedite its occurrence.
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.
War is much too serious a thing to be left to military
men
One
hopes nevertheless that he recalls Talleyrand’s warning to his protégés,
"Above all, not too much zeal!"
Since the masses are always eager to believe something,
for their benefit nothing is so easy to arrange as facts.
Too much sensibility creates unhappiness and too much
insensibility creates crime.
One's reputation is like a shadow, it is gigantic when
it precedes you, and a pigmy in proportion when it follows
A court is an assembly of noble and distinguished beggars.
The rich man despises those who flatter him too much, and hates those
who do not flatter him at all
I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of
100 lions led by a sheep.
Love of glory can only create a great hero; contempt of glory creates
a great man.
A clever woman often compromises her husband; a stupid woman only compromises
herself
Beauty, devoid of grace, is a mere hook without the bait
Merit, however inconsiderable, should be sought for and rewarded. Methods
are the master of masters.
Mistrust first impulses; they are nearly always good.
Ones reputation is like a shadow, it is gigantic when it precedes you,
and a pigmy in proportion when it follows.
She is such a good friend that she would throw all her acquaintances
into the water for the pleasure of fishing them out again.
Since the masses are always eager to believe something, for their benefit
nothing is so easy to arrange as facts.
Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.
The reputation of a man is like his shadow, gigantic when it precedes
him, and pigmy in its proportions when it follows.
Too much sensibility creates unhappiness and too much insensibility creates
crime.
| This is the beginning
of the end (on the outcome of the battle of Borodino 1812) |
It is not an event, it is a piece of news.
[Fr., Ce n'est pas un evenement, c'est une nouvelle.]
- on hearing of Napoleon's death [News]
Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.
[Fr., La parole a ete donnce a l'homme pour deguiser sa pensee.]
- attributed to, by Barrere in "Memoirs"
[Proverbs : Speech]
Whoever did not live in the years neighboring 1789 does not know what
the pleasure of living means.
[Fr., Qui n'a pas vecu dans les annees voisines de 1789 ne sait pas
ce que c'est le palisir de vivre.]
- said to Guizot, in Guizot's "Memoirs pour
Servir a l'histoire de nour Temps", vol. I, p. 6
[Life]
You do not play then at whist, sir? Alas, what a sad old age you are
preparing for yourself!
[Fr., Vous ne jouez donc pas le whist, monsieur? Helas! quelle triste
vieilesse vous vous preparez!
- [Cards]
It is the beginning of the end.
[Fr., C'est le commencement de al fin.]
- ascribed to Hundred Days [Beginnings]
I know where there is more wisdom that is found in Napoleon, Voltaire,
or all the ministers resent and to come -- in public opinion.
[Fr., Je connais quelqu'un qui a plus d'esprit que Napoleon, que
Voltaire, que tous les ministres presents et futurs: c'est l'opinion.]
- In the Chamber of Peers [Opinion]
[July 6, 2008]
The Military Philosopher “Surtout, pas trop de zele” – Above all, not too
much zeal
“Surtout, pas trop de zele” – Above all, not too much zeal
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord (1754-1838) was a man of many
accomplishments – among them cleric, diplomat, statesman, aristocrat,
revolutionary, and imperialist. He is considered by many the most accomplished
European diplomat of his age, with a diplomatic career that began with
his mission to London in January 1792 to persuade Great Britain to remain
neutral as revolutionary France battled the rest of Europe. His final
diplomatic achievement was the 1834 conclusion of a formal alliance
among Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, and France. Nevertheless, he is
most often remembered today for the many epigrams attributed to him,
of which my favorite is “Surtout, pas trop de zele,” often translated
as “Above all, not too much zeal." By this phrase, Talleyrand was reportedly
reminding his diplomatic subordinates that decisions about war, peace,
and the nation’s security must be based upon the exercise of cool-headed
reason and not upon emotions or any waxing or waning popular enthusiasm.
Talleyrand’s words came back to me recently as I listened to both presumptive-presidential
candidates outlining their views on national security issues and declaring
what their future decisions would be with regard to war and peace in
different circumstances. Personally, the experience acquired over my
diplomatic career leads me to generally disregard such commitments.
Statements made in the heat of a political election campaign cannot
help but suffer from a surfeit of zeal, intended as they often are to
pander to the perceived enthusiasms of all or a part of the electorate.
The United States has had past experiences with the harmful impact of
enthusiasms on political-military decision-making. I, for one, want
to believe that the next President of the United States will ponder
any decisions about peace, war, national security, and the future of
the nation with a cool and rational consideration of the merits of the
issue at hand – and not by trying to remember what promise he may have
made on the campaign trail.
