Napoleon Bonaparte (August 15, 1769 – May 5, 1821) was the emperor of the French in the early 1800’s and is known as a military and political genius – considered to be one of if not the best military commander in history. Born in Corsica to a minor noble family, Napoleon rose from relative obscurity to the heights of power, becoming one of the most influential, controversial, and discussed figures in history. He ascended through the French military ranks during the French Revolution, becoming a general at age 24, orchestrating a coup overthrowing the French government and establishing himself as First Consul in 1799. After consolidating power, he declared himself Emperor on December 2, 1804. Napoleon conquered most of Europe and was finally defeated in 1815 by a coalition of countries.
Napoleon was the most feared military commander of the age and his armies conquered nearly all in their path. However, he is also known as a visionary reformer. He introduced the Napoleonic Code – a complete overhaul of France’s laws. While some portions of the Code were controversial, such as its treatment of women, the Code entrenched principles such as equality under the law, private property, and religious freedom. The Code remains influential in France to this day and was also exported to many other countries during Napoleon’s reign, influencing law for generations to come in many parts of the world.
The machine had working rules. His army corps marched divided and lived off the country, moving faster than any opponent, and united only to fight; his officers rose by talent, on the theory that every soldier carried a marshal’s baton in his knapsack; and he read voraciously, managed the maps and the rations, and understood that morale often decided more than weight of metal. The Code gave his conquests something solid to keep once the armies moved on. The breaking came in Russia in 1812, when the Grande Armée marched in half a million strong and straggled back a remnant; the coalition armies closed in, and he abdicated in 1814, returned from exile on Elba for one last audacious throw, and lost it at Waterloo in June 1815. Banished to St. Helena in the South Atlantic, he spent his remaining years dictating his version of events, and died there on May 5, 1821.
It is said that there have been several hundred thousand books written about him since his death. Napoleon’s legacy is the subject of intense debate and there is no doubt that he was a complex figure that continues to influence the world today.
Core Ideas
- Deliberate fully, then commit entirely. Take all the time you need before the decision; when the time for action comes, stop thinking and go in.
- March divided, fight united. Spread out to live off the land and move fast, then concentrate everything at the decisive point.
- Let a blunder run. Never interrupt an enemy who is making a mistake; hold your strength back until the moment is ripe.
- Open every rung to talent. Promote on visible merit and feed ambition with honor; an army that believes the way up is real will push harder at every level.
- Mind outlasts sword. Imagination governs the world: morale, belief, and law written to stay standing decide the long run.
Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
“Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.”
“Imagination governs the world.”
“Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action comes, stop thinking and go in.”
“The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.”
“There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind.”
“Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.”
“The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to destiny.”
Napoleon Bonaparte Books
“Napoleon: A Life” – by Andrew Roberts. The modern one-volume standard: enormous, readable, honest about the genius and the gamble.
“Napoleon: A Concise Biography” – by David A. Bell. The short scholarly life: the same arc, tightly told, if the big biography is too much mountain.
“Napoleon On the Art of War” – by Jay Luvaas. His military thinking, selected and organized: how he studied campaigns, handled command, and thought about battle.
“Napoleon’s Maxims of War” – by Napoleon Bonaparte, translated by George Charles D’Aguilar. The system in his own voice: the maxims he drew from his campaigns, short enough to test against any contest.
You can browse all of Napoleon Bonaparte’s quotes in the SAGE QUOTE LIBRARY. For additional information, quotes, and books on similarly relevant famous individuals, please visit the SAGE PROFILES page on the site. Please also visit the SAGE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS page for many other great reads sure to add to your worldly wisdom. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
