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Frederick The Great

Frederick The Great Quotes

Military Commander

Frederick the Great, full name Frederick William Peter Augustus, was the King of Prussia and a military commander. During his reign, Prussia became one of the strongest powers in Europe. He is known for his military skills, reform spirit, and artistic taste.

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Famous Frederick The Great Quotes

“The greatest and noblest pleasure which men can have in this world is to discover new truths; and the next is to shake off old prejudices.”

Pleasure Truths Prejudices

Author:Frederick The Great

“The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old prejudices." Frederick the Great”

Inspirational Quote Change Quotes Prejudices

Author:Frederick The Great

“How regrettable it is to blush when you reveal yourself to others just as you are, and when you flee the oppotunity to examine yourself!”

Humour Sarcasm Anti Machiavel

Book:Frederick the Great's Philosophical Writings

Source: Frederick the Great's Philosophical Writings

“Compare Holland with Russia; you see only marshy and sterile islands in the former, which rise from the center of the ocean: a small republic which is only 48 miles length by 40 wide. But this small body is the very nerve-center of the region: immense people live in it, and these industrious people are both powerful and rich. They shook the yoke of the Spanish domination, which was then the most formidable monarchy of Europe. The trade of this republic extends to the ends of the world; and new trade appears almost immediately; it can maintain in times of war an army fifty thousand men, without counting a many and well maintained fleet.”

The Netherlands

Book:Anti-Machiavel

Source: Anti-Machiavel

“Just as people are born, live a time, and die by diseases or old age, in the same way republics are formed, flower a few centuries, and perish finally by the audacity of a citizen, or by the weapons of their enemies. All has their period; all empires, and largest monarchies even, have only so much time: the republics feel continually that this time will arrive, and they look at any too-powerful family as the carriers of a disease which will give them the blow of death.”

Book:Anti-Machiavel

Source: Anti-Machiavel

“An educated people can be easily governed.”

People Government Education Judging Educated Educated Person Prussia

Author:Frederick The Great

“A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.”

Hate Rain Hats Crowns After The Rain Rains Beauty

Author:Frederick The Great

“The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old prejudices.”

World Truth Next Pleasure This World Sad Diversity Prejudice Shakes Prussia

Author:Frederick The Great

“Always presume that the enemy has dangerous designs and always be forehanded with the remedy. But do not let these calculations make your timid.”

Enemy Dangerous Danger Design Remedy Calculations

Book:Instructions for His Generals

Source: Instructions for His Generals

“Being goal directed is not enough to conquer your enemy. To achieve your goal you need to know and be able to utilize all the resources available to you. This includes the knowledge of all those available to you as well as using the physical resources and those who control them.”

Knows Needs Wells Enough Able Goal Enemy Achieve Resources Available Conquer Achieving Your Goals

Author:Frederick The Great

“As to your Newton, I confess I do not understand his void and his gravity; I admit he has demonstrated the movement of the heavenly bodies with more exactitude than his forerunners; but you will admit it is an absurdity to to maintain the existence of Nothing.”

Body Existence Movement Mathematics Heavenly Void Gravity Absurdity Newton Prussia Heavenly Bodies Forerunners Exactitude

Author:Frederick The Great

“Euler calculated the force of the wheels necessary to raise the water in a reservoir ... My mill was carried out geometrically and could not raise a drop of water fifty yards from the reservoir. Vanity of vanities! Vanity of geometry!”

Force Water Mathematics Raises Vanity Wheels Fifty Yards Geometry Mills Reservoirs Drop Of Water Euler

Author:Frederick The Great

“Theologians are all alike, of whatever religion or country they may be; their aim is always to wield despotic authority over men's consciences; they therefore persecute all of us who have the temerity to tell the truth.”

Men May Country Atheism Authority Conscience Aim Positive Atheism Telling The Truth Theologian

Author:Frederick The Great

“It is impossible to imitate Voltaire without being Voltaire.”

Impossible Imitation

Author:Frederick The Great

“All religions must be tolerated ... every man must go to heaven in his own way. [Die Religionen müssen alle toleriert werden ... denn hier muss ein jeder nach seiner Fasson selig werden.]”

Men Way Dies Heaven Atheism Positive Atheism Every Man

Author:Frederick The Great

“Christianity - An old metaphysical romance, filled with marvels, contradictions, and absurdity, born in the ardent imagination of Orientals, has spread into our Europe. Enthusiasts have purveyed it, careerists have pretended to accept it, imbeciles have believed it.”

Romance Belief Born Imagination Accepting Christianity Europe Filled Spread Contradiction Superstitions Absurdity Metaphysical Ardent Imbeciles

Author:Frederick The Great

“Man is made for error; it enters his mind naturally, and he discovers a few truths only with the greatest effort.”

Men Mind Made Effort Errors

Author:Frederick The Great

“Many battles have been fought and won by soldiers nourished on beer, and the King does not believe that coffee-drinking soldiers can be relied upon to endure hardships in case of another war.”

Believe Doe Has Beens War Cases Kings Battle Drinking Endure Soldier Alcohol Coffee Beer Hardship Prussia Great Coffee

Author:Frederick The Great

“Neither antiquity nor any other nation has imagined a more atrocious and blasphemous absurdity than that of eating God. This is how Christians treat the autocrat of the universe.”

Christian Universe Nations Eating Treats Absurdity Antiquity

Author:Frederick The Great

“A king is the first servant and first magistrate of the state.”

Firsts States Kings Servant Magistrates

Author:Frederick The Great

“If soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army.”

Ifs Thinking War Army Soldier Peace War Total War Make Peace Not War Peace Not War Soldiers At War Great Army

Author:Frederick The Great

“Be more than you seem to be.”

Author:Frederick The Great

“It is the fashion these days to make war, and presumably it will last a while yet.”

War Lasts Fashion These Days

Author:Frederick The Great

“One should never despair too soon.”

Author:Frederick The Great

“The people say what they like and then I do what I like”

Author:Frederick The Great

“You will certainly grant me that neither antiquity nor whatever nation has devised a more repulsive and blasphemous absurdity than that of eating your God. This is the most disgusting dogma of Christian religion, the greatest insult to the Highest Being, the climax of madness and insanity.”

Christian Nations Eating Highest Madness Insanity Insult Grants Disgusting Dogma Absurdity Antiquity Climax Madness And Insanity

Author:Frederick The Great

“Great things are achieved only when we take great risks.”

Risk Great Things Great Risk

Author:Frederick The Great

“Diplomacy without arms is like a concert without a score”

Arms Score Concerts Diplomacy

Author:Frederick The Great

“Books make up no small part of human happiness.”

Humans Book Happiness Small Parts Human Happiness

Author:Frederick The Great

“It is disgusting to note the increase in the quantity of coffee used by my subjects and the amount of money that goes out of the country in consequence. Everybody is using coffee. If possible, this must be prevented. My people must drink beer.”

People Ifs Country Used Subjects Food Amount Drink Consequence Increase Notes Coffee Beer Quantity Disgusting

Author:Frederick The Great

“The more I see of men, the better I like my dog.”

Men Animal Dog Mathematical Welfare My Dog Animal Welfare

Author:Frederick The Great

“Many battles have been fought and won by soldiers nourished on beer.”

Has Beens Battle Drinking Soldier Coffee Beer Drinking Beer Funny Beer Brewing Beer Drinking Whiskey Great Beer Whiskey Drinking Prussia Great Coffee Drinking Cheers

Author:Frederick The Great

“It is disgusting to notice the increase in the quantity of coffee used by my subjects, and the amount of money that goes out of the country as a consequence. Everybody is using coffee; this must be prevented. His Majesty was brought up on beer, and so were both his ancestors and officers. Many battles have been fought and won by soldiers nourished on beer, and the King does not believe that coffee-drinking soldiers can be relied upon to endure hardships in case of another war.”

“Everybody is using coffee. If possible, this must be prevented. My people must drink beer.”

People Drink Beer

Author:Frederick The Great

“Do not neglect the principles of foresight and know that often, puffed up with success, armies have lost the fruit of their heroism through a feeling of false security.”

Knows Feelings Lost Principles Security Military Army Fruit Neglect Heroism Foresight

Book:Instructions for His Generals

Source: Instructions for His Generals

“A man, who can, in cold blood, hunt and torture a poor, innocent animal, cannot feel much compassion for the distress of his own species.”

Men Feels Animal Poor Compassion Blood Cold Species Innocent Torture Hunting Distress Hunts

Author:Frederick The Great

“Every man must get to Heaven his own way.”

Men Way Inspirational Heaven Individuality Every Man Prussia

Author:Frederick The Great

“I have no fault to find with those who teach geometry. That science is the only one which has not produced sects; it is founded on analysis and on synthesis and on the calculus; it does not occupy itself with the probable truth; moreover it has the same method in every country.”

Doe Country Truth Science Teach Method Faults Analysis Geometry Sects Calculus Synthesis

Author:Frederick The Great

“If I wished to punish a province, I would have it governed by philosophers.”

Ifs Government Philosopher Provinces Prussia

Author:Frederick The Great

“Great advantage is drawn from knowledge of your adversary, and when you know the measure of his intelligence and character, you can use it to play on his weakness.”

Knows Play Character Use Military Weakness Advantage Adversaries

Book:Instructions for His Generals

Source: Instructions for His Generals

“Though I may not be a king in my future life, so much the better: I shall nevertheless live an active life and, on top of it, earn less ingratitude.”

May Kings Active Nevertheless Reincarnation My Future Ingratitude Future Life I May Not Be Active Life

Author:Frederick The Great

“My people and I have come to an agreement which satisfies us both. They are to do what they please, and I am to do what I please.”

People Politics Please Agreement Prussia

Author:Frederick The Great

“In trying to defend everything he defended nothing.”

Trying Focus Prussia

Author:Frederick The Great

“A man with his heart in his profession imagines and finds resources where the worthless and lazy despair.”

Men Life Heart Imagine Advice Despair Resources Profession Lazy Worthless

Book:Instructions for His Generals

Source: Instructions for His Generals

“Little minds try to defend everything at once, but sensible people look at the main point only; they parry the worst blows and stand a little hurt if thereby they avoid a greater one. If you try to hold everything, you hold nothing.”

People Ifs Trying Mind Looks Littles Hurt Greater Worst Argument Blow Sensible Little Minds

Author:Frederick The Great

“Pleasure is the most real good in this life.”

Real Pleasure This Life

Author:Frederick The Great

“Diplomacy without military might is like music without instruments.”

Might Interesting Military Instruments Diplomacy

Author:Frederick The Great

“It has been said by a certain general, that the first object in the establishment of an army ought to be making provision for the belly, that being the basis and foundation of all operations.”

Firsts Has Beens Said Certain Objects Ought Bases Army Foundation Operations Establishment Belly Provision Prussia

Author:Frederick The Great

“Christianity is an old metaphysical fiction, stuffed with fables, contradictions and absurdities: it was spawned in the fevered imagination of the Orientals, and then spread to our Europe, where some fanatics espoused it, where some intriguers pretended to be convinced by it and where some imbeciles actually believed it.”

Imagination Fiction Christianity Europe Spread Convinced Contradiction Absurdity Metaphysical Fanatics Fables Imbeciles

Author:Frederick The Great

“It is pardonable to be defeated, but never to be surprised.”

Author:Frederick The Great

About the Author

Born: January 24, 1712
Died: August 17, 1786
Known for: Military Commander
Quotes: 60

Related Topics

Prussia Men People Absurdity Beer Military War Coffee Country Has Beens

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Instructions for His GeneralsRelated source material

Anti-MachiavelRelated source material

Frederick the Great's Philosophical WritingsRelated source material

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