32+ Cardinal Richelieu Quotes On Cardinals, Education And Cardinal Virtues

Cardinal Richelieu was a French clergyman who served as the chief minister to King Louis XIII of France from 1624 until his death in 1642. He was a prominent figure in the history of France, playing a major role in the Thirty Years' War, and in the transformation of France into a strong, centralized state. Richelieu is also known for his political and economic reforms, which helped to create a strong and prosperous France. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Cardinal Richelieu on cardinals, education, cardinal virtues.

Top 10 Cardinal Richelieu Quotes

1. Friendship is the medicine for all misfortune; but ingratitude dries up the fountain of all goodness.
2. A single word has sometimes lost or won an empire.
3. If God forbade drinking, would He have made wine so good?
4. Deception is the knowledge of kings.
5. Give me six lines written by the most honorable person alive, and I shall find enough in them to condemn them to the gallows.
6. To know how to dissemble is the knowledge of kings. [Fr., Savoir dissimuler est le savoir des rois.]
7. To mislead a rival, deception is permissable; one may use all means against his enemies.
8. Bakers of bread rolls and pastry cooks will not buy grain before eleven o'clock in winter and noon in summer.
9. Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of state.
10. We may employ artifice to deceive a rival, anything against our enemies.

Cardinal Richelieu Short Quotes

• War is one of the scourges with which it has pleased God to afflict men.
• Did you think I was immortal?
• First, all means to conciliate; failing that, all means to crush.
• To know how to disguise is the knowledge of kings.
• Carry on any enterprise as if all future success depended on it.
• I have the consolation of leaving your kingdom in the highest degree of glory and of reputation.
• Who will be my equal?
• Wise judges are we of each other!
• I do not sleep to let others sleep in the shade of my waking.
• Never write a letter and never destroy one.

Cardinal Richelieu Quotes About State

Harshness towards individuals who flout the laws and commands of the state is for the public good; no greater crime against the public interest is possible than to show leniency to those who violate it. — Cardinal Richelieu

Nothing is as dangerous for the state as those who would govern kingdoms with maxims found in books. — Cardinal Richelieu

Had Luther and Calvin been confined before they had begun to dogmatize, the states would have been spared many troubles. — Cardinal Richelieu

I have never had any [enemies] other than those of the state. — Cardinal Richelieu

Cardinal Richelieu Famous Quotes And Sayings

When people are too comfortable, it is not possible to restrain them within the bounds of their duty? They may be compared to mules who, being accustomed to burdens, are spoilt by rest rather than labour. — Cardinal Richelieu

If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him. — Cardinal Richelieu

Bakers of bread rolls and pastry cooks will not buy grain before eleven o'clock in winter and noon in summer; bakers of large loaves will not buy grain before two o'clock. This will enable the people of the town to obtain their supply first. Bakers shall put a distinctive trademark on their loaves, and keep weights and scales in their shops, under penalty of having their licenses removed. — Cardinal Richelieu

One must believe neither the people of the palace, who ordinarily measure the power of the king by the shape of his crown, which, being round, has no end, nor those who, in the excesses of an indiscreet zeal, proclaim themselves openly as partisans of Rome. — Cardinal Richelieu

Nothing so upholds the laws as the punishment of persons whose rank is as great as their crime. — Cardinal Richelieu

Not the least of the qualities that go into the making of a great ruler is the ability of letting others serve him. — Cardinal Richelieu

A virtuous and well-disposed person, like a good metal, the more he is fired, the more he is fined; the more he is opposed, the more he is approved: wrongs may well try him, and touch him, but cannot imprint in him any false stamp. — Cardinal Richelieu

Reason must be the universal rule and guide; all things must be done according to reason without allowing oneself to be swayed by emotion. — Cardinal Richelieu

Life Lessons by Cardinal Richelieu

1. Cardinal Richelieu taught us the importance of having a strong central government in order to maintain order and stability.
2. He also showed us the power of diplomacy and how it can be used to achieve political objectives.
3. Finally, Richelieu demonstrated the value of having a unified vision and working towards it with determination and perseverance.