Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word.
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French statesman and soldier
(Attributed)Alt. trans.: "Since a politician never believes what he says, he is absolutely nonplussed when he is taken at his word."
Quotations by:
De Gaulle, Charles
How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French statesman and soldier
(Attributed)
Quoted in Ernest Mignon, Les Mots du Général (1962).
Justice that does not bear a sword beside its scales soon falls into ridicule.
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French statesman and soldier
The Army of the Future, 3.2 (1941)
Every man of action has a strong dose of egotism, pride, hardness, and cunning. But all those things will be forgiven him, indeed, they will be regarded as high qualities, if he can make of them the means to achieve great ends.
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French statesman and soldier
The Edge of the Sword, “Of Prestige” (2) (1934) [tr. Hopkins (1960)]
Success contains within it the germs of failure, and the reverse is also true.
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French statesman and soldier
In C. L. Sulzberger, “Foreign Affairs: The Last Giant,” New York Times (30 Apr 1969)