I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.
Catherine the Great
I praise loudly. I blame softly.
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 living beings.
Power without a nation's confidence is nothing.
I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.
The more a man knows, the more he forgives.
I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his.
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.
If Russians knew how to read, they would write me off.
In politics a capable ruler must be guided by circumstances, conjectures and conjunctions.
Your wit makes others witty.
I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.
For to tempt and to be tempted are things very nearly allied - whenever feeling has anything to do in the matter, no sooner is it excited than we have already gone vastly farther than we are aware of.
All this is only for the mice and myself to admire!
In my position you have to read when you want to write and to talk when you would like to read.
Men make love more intensely at 20, but make love better, however, at 30.
