Charles Maurice de Talleyrand
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgordʁɑ̃ peʁiɡɔʁ]; 1754–1838), prince de Bénévent, then prince de Talleyrand, was a French bishop, politician and diplomat. After theology studies, he became in 1780 Agent-General of the Clergy and represented the Catholic Church to the French Crown. He worked at the highest levels of successive French governments, most commonly as foreign minister or in some other diplomatic capacity. His career spanned the regimes of Louis XVI, the years of the French Revolution, Napoleon, Louis XVIII, and Louis-Philippe...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionDiplomat
Date of Birth2 February 1754
CountryFrance
Speech has been given to man to disguise his thoughts.
The rich man despises those who flatter him too much, and hates those who do not flatter him at all.
Love of glory can only create a great hero; contempt of glory creates a great man.
A married man with a family will do anything for money.
Women sometimes forgive a man who forces the opportunity, but never a man who misses ones.
The reputation of a man is like his shadow, gigantic when it precedes him, and pigmy in its proportions when it follows.
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.
Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts. [Fr., La parole a ete donnce a l'homme pour deguiser sa pensee.]
Only a man who has loved a woman of genius can appreciate what happiness there is in loving a fool.
The art of putting the right men in the right places is first in the science of government; but that of finding places for the discontented is the most difficult.
What clever man has ever needed to commit a crime? Crime is the last resort of political half-wits.
Ones 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.
Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.