Frederick The Great famous quotes

Every man has a wild beast within him.
-- Frederick The Great

#Men #Beast

Little minds try to defend everything at once, but sensible people look at the main point only; they parry the worst blows and stand a little hurt if thereby they avoid a greater one. If you try to hold everything, you hold nothing.
-- Frederick The Great

#Hurt #Blow #People

An educated people can be easily governed.
-- Frederick The Great

#Education #Government #People

My people must drink beer.
-- Frederick The Great

#Beer #People #Drink

No government can exist without taxation. The money must necessarily be levied on the people; and the grand art consists of levying so as not to oppress.
-- Frederick The Great

#Art #Government #People

Every man must get to Heaven his own way.
-- Frederick The Great

#Men #Heaven #Way

Many battles have been fought and won by soldiers nourished on beer.
-- Frederick The Great

#Beer #Soldier #Battle

It is disgusting to note the increase in the quantity of coffee used by my subjects and the amount of money that goes out of the country in consequence. Everybody is using coffee. If possible, this must be prevented. My people must drink beer.
-- Frederick The Great

#Country #Coffee #Food

A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.
-- Frederick The Great

#Hate #Rain #Crowns

The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old prejudices.
-- Frederick The Great

#Truth #Diversity #Prejudice

Man is made for error; it enters his mind naturally, and he discovers a few truths only with the greatest effort.
-- Frederick The Great

#Men #Effort #Mind

I love opposition that has convictions.
-- Frederick The Great

#Conviction

Christianity - An old metaphysical romance, filled with marvels, contradictions, and absurdity, born in the ardent imagination of Orientals, has spread into our Europe. Enthusiasts have purveyed it, careerists have pretended to accept it, imbeciles have believed it.
-- Frederick The Great

#Europe #Imagination #Romance

Artillery adds dignity, to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl.
-- Frederick The Great

#Military #Add #Ugly

To your care and recommendation am I indebted for having replaced a half-blind mathematician with a mathematician with both eyes, which will especially please the anatomical members of my Academy.
-- Frederick The Great

#Eye #Half #Care

I am up and about when I am ill, and in the most appalling weather. I am on horseback when other men would be flat out on their beds, complaining. We are made for action, and activity is the sovereign remedy for all physical ills.
-- Frederick The Great

#Military #Men #Weather

It is impossible to imitate Voltaire without being Voltaire.
-- Frederick The Great

#Impossible #Imitation

A German singer! I should as soon expect to get pleasure from the neighing of my horse.
-- Frederick The Great

#Horse #Humorous #Germany

Always presume that the enemy has dangerous designs and always be forehanded with the remedy. But do not let these calculations make your timid.
-- Frederick The Great

#Design #Enemy #Danger

Being goal directed is not enough to conquer your enemy. To achieve your goal you need to know and be able to utilize all the resources available to you. This includes the knowledge of all those available to you as well as using the physical resources and those who control them.
-- Frederick The Great

#Goal #Enemy #Needs

All religions must be tolerated ... every man must go to heaven in his own way. [Die Religionen müssen alle toleriert werden ... denn hier muss ein jeder nach seiner Fasson selig werden.]
-- Frederick The Great

#Men #Heaven #Atheism

As to your Newton, I confess I do not understand his void and his gravity; I admit he has demonstrated the movement of the heavenly bodies with more exactitude than his forerunners; but you will admit it is an absurdity to to maintain the existence of Nothing.
-- Frederick The Great

#Movement #Body #Void

Euler calculated the force of the wheels necessary to raise the water in a reservoir ... My mill was carried out geometrically and could not raise a drop of water fifty yards from the reservoir. Vanity of vanities! Vanity of geometry!
-- Frederick The Great

#Vanity #Water #Wheels

Theologians are all alike, of whatever religion or country they may be; their aim is always to wield despotic authority over men's consciences; they therefore persecute all of us who have the temerity to tell the truth.
-- Frederick The Great

#Country #Men #Atheism

It is pardonable to be defeated, but never to be surprised.
-- Frederick The Great

#Defeated

Christianity is an old metaphysical fiction, stuffed with fables, contradictions and absurdities: it was spawned in the fevered imagination of the Orientals, and then spread to our Europe, where some fanatics espoused it, where some intriguers pretended to be convinced by it and where some imbeciles actually believed it.
-- Frederick The Great

#Europe #Imagination #Fiction

It has been said by a certain general, that the first object in the establishment of an army ought to be making provision for the belly, that being the basis and foundation of all operations
-- Frederick The Great

#Army #Foundation #Firsts

Diplomacy without arms is like a concert without a score
-- Frederick The Great

#Arms #Concerts #Score

Diplomacy without military might is like music without instruments.
-- Frederick The Great

#Military #Interesting #Might

Pleasure is the most real good in this life.
-- Frederick The Great

#Real #Pleasure #This Life

Books make up no small part of human happiness.
-- Frederick The Great

#Happiness #Book #Humans

I think it better to keep a profound silence with regard to the Christian fables, which are canonized by their antiquity and the credulity of absurd and insipid people.
-- Frederick The Great

#Christian #Thinking #People

A man, who can, in cold blood, hunt and torture a poor, innocent animal, cannot feel much compassion for the distress of his own species.
-- Frederick The Great

#Compassion #Hunting #Animal

Do not neglect the principles of foresight and know that often, puffed up with success, armies have lost the fruit of their heroism through a feeling of false security.
-- Frederick The Great

#Military #Army #Feelings

It is disgusting to notice the increase in the quantity of coffee used by my subjects, and the amount of money that goes out of the country as a consequence. Everybody is using coffee; this must be prevented. His Majesty was brought up on beer, and so were both his ancestors and officers. Many battles have been fought and won by soldiers nourished on beer, and the King does not believe that coffee-drinking soldiers can be relied upon to endure hardships in case of another war.
-- Frederick The Great

#Country #Kings #War

The more I see of men, the better I like my dog.
-- Frederick The Great

#Dog #Animal #Men

I have no fault to find with those who teach geometry. That science is the only one which has not produced sects; it is founded on analysis and on synthesis and on the calculus; it does not occupy itself with the probable truth; moreover it has the same method in every country.
-- Frederick The Great

#Country #Truth #Doe

If I wished to punish a province, I would have it governed by philosophers.
-- Frederick The Great

#Philosopher

Great advantage is drawn from knowledge of your adversary, and when you know the measure of his intelligence and character, you can use it to play on his weakness.
-- Frederick The Great

#Military #Character #Play

Though I may not be a king in my future life, so much the better: I shall nevertheless live an active life and, on top of it, earn less ingratitude.
-- Frederick The Great

#Kings #May #Reincarnation

In trying to defend everything he defended nothing.
-- Frederick The Great

#Focus #Trying

A man with his heart in his profession imagines and finds resources where the worthless and lazy despair.
-- Frederick The Great

#Life #Heart #Men

My people and I have come to an agreement which satisfies us both. They are to do what they please, and I am to do what I please.
-- Frederick The Great

#Agreement #People #Politics

God is always with the strongest battalions.
-- Frederick The Great

#War #Strongest

Our work is to present things that are as they are.
-- Frederick The Great