Catherine the Great

I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame and punish softly.

A great many things are done in the world, and in the government, that are not done according to the rules of logic.

I shall be a despot, but a just one.

I have always been of the opinion that the best way to govern is to make the people believe that they are governing themselves.

The surest way to prevent seditions is to take away the matter of them.

I have no other ambition than to see my country happy.

Power without a people's love is a burden.

I am an aristocrat. I love liberty. I hate despotism.

The more I study, the more I am convinced that the world is governed by chance.

I have come to Russia to serve this nation, and I will do everything in my power to make it happy.

A good general is not only one who knows how to fight, but also one who knows how to avoid fighting.

I esteem the love of my people more than all the treasures of the world.

It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.

I write to you, my dear friend, as a human being, not as an empress.

I have never been afraid of anything but God.

The best way to make a man honest is to make him believe that you think him so.

I am a woman, but I have the heart of a man.

I have always tried to do what is right, even if it is not popular.

I have learned that the best way to get things done is to do them yourself.

I have always believed that education is the key to progress.