I always thought I was Jeanne d'Arc and Bonaparte. How little one knows oneself.
Charles De GaulleRead
Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Great achievements require great individuals who are determined to excel.
This quote emphasizes that significant accomplishments are only possible through the involvement of exceptional individuals. It underlines the idea that greatness is not just inherent but is cultivated by determination and a strong will, implying that success is a collective outcome of both motivation and capability.
Themes
GreatnessDeterminationSuccessAchievementMen
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech on leadership, one might quote this to inspire future leaders.
More from Charles De Gaulle
All quotes →Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.
Charles De GaulleRead
Today we are crushed by the sheer weight of the mechanized forces hurled against us, but we can still look to the future in which even greater mechanized forces will bring us victory. Therein lies the destiny of the world.
Charles De GaulleRead
The perfection preached in the gospels never yet built an empire. Every man of action has a strong dose of egotism, pride, hardness, and cunning.
Charles De GaulleRead
One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day was; one cannot judge life until death.
Charles De GaulleRead
Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n'ont pas cédé. [Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.]
Charles De GaulleRead
Similar quotes
I want to be successful, not famous.
George HarrisonRead
The best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.
Michael JordanRead
There's a lot of research behind the scenes that you don't get to see, but I have an instinct that my dad nurtured from when I was born. I was very lucky then.
Steve IrwinRead
Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
Vince LombardiRead
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston ChurchillRead
What are the five products you want to focus on? Get rid of the rest, because they’re dragging you down. They’re turning you into Microsoft. They’re causing you to turn out products that are adequate but not great.
Walter IsaacsonRead