Georges Clemenceau (1841 – 1929)
French journalist, physician and statesman.
It was I who gave the title "J'accuse" to Zola's letter.
Military justice is to justice what military music is to music.
Mr. Wilson bores me with his Fourteen Points; why, God Almighty has only Ten!
Americans have no capacity for abstract thought, and make bad coffee.
Politique intérieure, je fais la guerre; politique extérieure, je fais la guerre. Je fais toujours la guerre.
Civil servants make the best husbands: when they get home, they are well rested and they have already read the newspaper.
In the distance huge trees were still blazing, around us was a waste of ashes and of half-consumed boughs, and the falling rain seemed only to quicken the dying conflagration. In some of the great green boles were fearful gaping wounds through which the sap was oozing, while some tall trees still stretched to heaven their triumphant crown of foliage above a trunk all charred that would never sprout again. The Brazilians contemplate spectacles such as this with a wholly indifferent eye, and, indeed, even with satisfaction, for they see in the ruin only a promise of future harvests. To me the scene possessed only the horror of a slaughter-house.
La guerre! C’est une chose trop grave pour la confier ? des militaires.
War is too serious a matter to leave to soldiers.
All that I know I learned after I was thirty.
There is no passion like that of a functionary for his function.
When a man asks himself what is meant by action he proves that he isn't a man of action. Action is a lack of balance. In order to act you must be somewhat insane. A reasonably sensible man is satisfied with thinking.
War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory.
The Germans may take Paris, but that will not prevent me from going on with the war. We will fight on the Loire, we will fight on the Garronne, we will fight even in the Pyrenees. And if at last we are driven off the Pyrenees, we will continue the war at sea.
A man's life is interesting primarily when he has failed — I well know. For it's a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
He had one illusion — France; and one disillusion — mankind, including Frenchmen.
His poor marksmanship must be taken into account. We have just won the most terrible war in history, yet here is a Frenchman who misses his target 6 out of 7 times at point-blank range. Of course, this fellow must be punished for the careless use of a dangerous weapon and for poor marksmanship. I suggest that he be locked up for eight years, with intensive training in a shooting gallery.
Il est plus facile de faire la guerre que la paix.
My son is 22 years old. If he had not become a Communist at 22, I would have disowned him. If he is still a Communist at 30, I will do it then.