This quote comes from a letter that Napoleon wrote from Dresden on July 9, 1813, to General Jean Le Marois, the governor of Magdeburg, a French stronghold in Germany.
Also misquoted as: The word impossible is not in my dictionary. Variant: The word impossible is not French. You write to me that it is impossible the word is not French. From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step.’ It was clear that he saw himself pursued by the hissing of all Europe, which was to him the greatest possible punishment. It is only sluggish kings who grow fat in their palaces: horseback and camps for me. I live in the midst of agitation: the more I am crossed, the better I am. How do you find yourself, Monsieur Stanislas, and you, Sir, the Minister of Finance?’ To the repeated protests of these gentlemen of the satisfaction they felt at seeing him safe and well after so many dangers, ‘Dangers! Not in the least. ‘From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step. No, only two hours,’ he said, laughing, without other preparation or preamble. ‘How long have I been at Warsaw? Eight days. We rejoined him about three o’clock, he had just risen from table. After a short meeting, Napoleon dismissed de Pradt, instructing him to return after dinner with two Polish politicians – Count Stanislas Potocki and the minister of finance. On December 10, his sleigh reached Warsaw, where he was greeted by France’s ambassador to Poland, the Abbé de Pradt. On December 5, 1812, at Smorgoni, he left the remains of his straggling army under the command of his brother-in-law, Joachim Murat (who also soon abandoned the troops), and hurried ahead towards Paris. Napoleon said this during his retreat from Russia. Napoleon retreats from Moscow, by Adolf Northen Variant: There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous. From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step. I have Napoleon say a version of this in Napoleon in America.Ģ. In war, three-quarters turns on personal character and relations the balance of manpower and materials counts only for the remaining quarter. It would be a great misfortune to abandon this line and then later be obliged to retake it. Above all, we must not abandon this line without a specific plan that leaves no uncertainty about subsequent operations. We will content ourselves with saying that since we have taken the line of the Ebro, the troops can recover and rest, there is at least the advantage that the country is healthier, being more elevated, and we can wait there until the heat has passed. We will not discuss here if the line of the Ebro is good…. The Spaniards were opposed to French rule and the war was becoming savage.
They were intended for his brother Joseph, whom he had recently installed as King of Spain. These words are from Napoleon’s notes entitled “Observations on Spanish Affairs,” which he wrote on Augat the Palace of Saint-Cloud. Variant: In war, moral power is to physical as three parts out of four. Note that all of these Napoleon quotes have variants, depending on how the French was translated, and on how the phrases have mutated over the past 200 years.ġ. Considering the circumstances in which Napoleon said them may put a different spin on them. Here are 10 Napoleon Bonaparte quotes that are often taken out of context.
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