Catherine the Great

“The sovereign is absolute; for there is no other authority but that which centers in his single person, that can act with a vigor proportionate to the extent of such a vast dominion.”

“I praise loudly. I blame softly.”

“A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache.”

“I am one of the people who love the why of things.”

“You philosophers are lucky men. You write on paper and paper is patient. Unfortunate Empress that I am, I write on the susceptible skins of human beings.”

“The more a man knows, the more he forgives.”

“Power without a nation's confidence is nothing.”

“I beg you, take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.”

“Happiness and unhappiness are in the heart and spirit of each one of us: If you feel unhappy, then rise above it and act so that your happiness may be independent of all outside events.”

“It is better to be subject to the law than to a ruler.”

“I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his.”

“What is the true end of monarchy? Not to deprive people of their natural liberty; but to correct their actions, in order to attain the supreme good.”