Cardinal Richelieu
Cardinal Richelieu
Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal-Duke of Richelieu and of Fronsac, commonly referred to as Cardinal Richelieuʁiʃljø]), was a French clergyman, nobleman, and statesman. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1607 and was appointed Foreign Secretary in 1616. Richelieu soon rose in both the Catholic Church and the French government, becoming a cardinal in 1622, and King Louis XIII's chief minister in 1624. He remained in office until his death in 1642; he was succeeded by Cardinal Mazarin, whose career...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionReligious Leader
Date of Birth9 September 1585
CityParis, France
CountryFrance
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.
I do not sleep to let others sleep in the shade of my waking.
Nothing is as dangerous for the state as those who would govern kingdoms with maxims found in books.
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.
Did you think I was immortal?
War is one of the scourges with which it has pleased God to afflict men.
To know how to disguise is the knowledge of kings.
Not the least of the qualities that go into the making of a great ruler is the ability of letting others serve him.
We may employ artifice to deceive a rival, anything against our enemies.
Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of state.
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.
To mislead a rival, deception is permissable; one may use all means against his enemies.
I have never had any [enemies] other than those of the state.
Deception is the knowledge of kings.