Zitate von Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Geburtstag: 22. November 1890
Todesdatum: 9. November 1970
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle war ein französischer General und Staatsmann. Im Zweiten Weltkrieg führte er den Widerstand des Freien Frankreichs gegen die deutsche Besatzung an. Danach war er von 1944 bis 1946 Präsident der Provisorischen Regierung. Im Zuge des Algerienkriegs wurde er 1958 mit der Bildung einer Regierung als Ministerpräsident beauftragt und setzte eine Verfassungsreform durch, mit der die Fünfte Republik begründet wurde, deren Präsident er von Januar 1959 bis April 1969 war. Die auf ihn zurückgehende politische Ideologie des Gaullismus beeinflusst die französische Politik bis heute.
Zitate Charles de Gaulle
„Wie wollen Sie ein Volk regieren, das 246 Käsesorten besitzt?“
zitiert bei Hans O. Staub: De Gaulle - Träumer oder Idealist. Bucher 1966, S. 60 books. google
„France was built with swords. The fleur-de-lis, symbol of national unity, is only the image of a spear with three pikes.“
La France fut faite à coups d'épée. La fleur de lys, symbole d'unité nationale, n'est que l'image d'un javelot à trois lances.
in La France et son armée.
Writings
„When we were children, we often played war. We had a fine collection of lead soldiers. My brothers would take different countries: Xavier had Italy; Pierre, Germany. Or they would swap around. Well, I, gentlemen, always had France.“
Reminiscing during an ocean voyage to Tahiti, quoted in The Atlantic, November 1960
Early life
„Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.“
Attributed to de Gaulle by Romain Gary, Life, May 9, 1969
Fifth Republic and other post-WW2
„I am Joan of Arc. I am Clemenceau.“
Reportedly misattributed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in January, 1943, in communicating his impression of de Gaulle's arrogance in assuming the mantle of leadership of free France. Reported in Paul F. Boller, John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions (1990), p. 33-34.
Misattributed
„"A foreign military leader whose daring was feared by those who profited by it." De Gaulle said that MacArthur's critics should "pay deserved tribute to the legendary service of a great soldier".“
from William Manchester's "American Caesar".
Fifth Republic and other post-WW2
„Difficulty attracts the characterful man, for it is by grasping it that he fulfils himself.“
La difficulté attire l'homme de caractère, car c'est en l'étreignant qu'il se réalise lui-même.
in Mémoires de guerre.
Writings
„Men can have friends, statesmen cannot.“
Les hommes peuvent avoir des amis, pas les hommes d'Etat.
Interview, December 9 1967.
Fifth Republic and other post-WW2
„France cannot be France without greatness.“
La France ne peut être la France sans la grandeur.
in Mémoires de guerre.
Writings
„Yes, it is Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals, it is Europe, it is the whole of Europe, that will decide the fate of the world.“
Oui, c'est l'Europe, depuis l'Atlantique jusqu'à l'Oural, c'est toute l'Europe, qui décidera du destin du monde.
23 November 1959, Strasbourg. The phrase shown in bold is the most often quoted excerpt. De Gaulle was expressing his vision of Europe's future.
Most famous
„Jews remain what they have been at all times: an elite people, self-confident and domineering.“
Attributed to a news conference (27 November 1967) the earliest occurrence of this statement yet located is in The Cross and the Flag, Vol. 27, (1968) by the Christian Nationalist Crusade
Appeal of June 18, Speech of June 18
„The evolution toward Communism is inevitable.“
Reported in the National Review (November 1962) as a misattribution created by extreme rightists. See Paul F. Boller, John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions (1990), p. 33.
Misattributed
„Character is the virtue of hard times.“
Le caractère, vertu des temps difficiles.
in Le fil de l’épée.
Writings
„Nothing great is done without great men, and they are great because they wanted it.“
On ne fait rien de grand sans de grands hommes, et ceux-ci le sont pour l'avoir voulu.
in Vers l’armée de métier.
Writings
„Of course one can jump up and down yelling Europe! Europe! Europe! But it amounts to nothing and it means nothing.“
Bien entendu, on peut sauter sur sa chaise comme un cabri en disant l’Europe ! l’Europe ! l’Europe ! mais cela n’aboutit à rien et cela ne signifie rien.
Interview on a presidential campaign, December 1965 INA archive of the video http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&id_notice=I00012536 (De Gaulle meant that he wanted to build a European Union on realities, i.e. the existing nation-states with their respective interests – not on slogans and abstractions)
Fifth Republic and other post-WW2
„Why do you think that at 67 I would start a career as a dictator?“
Pourquoi voulez-vous qu'à 67 ans je commence une carrière de dictateur ?
Press conference, May 19 1958 (De Gaulle was changing the constitution to make government more efficient, after decades of impotent parliamentary regime, and he mocked journalists who claimed he was establishing a dictatorship).
Fifth Republic and other post-WW2
„Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.“
Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n'ont pas cédé.
Speech, July 14 1943.
World War II
„The desire of privilege and the taste of equality are the dominant and contradictory passions of the French of all times.“
Le désir du privilège et le goût de l'égalité, passions dominantes et contradictoires des Français de toute époque.
in La France et son armée.
Writings
