Peter the Great — "Alas! I have civilized my own subjects; I have conquered other nations; yet I ha…"
Alas! I have civilized my own subjects; I have conquered other nations; yet I have not been able to civilize or to conquer myself.
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More from Peter the Great
"Do not spare the ships; they will be built again."
"It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."
"I am a sovereign and I will answer to no one for my actions."
"I am a master of many trades, but a master of none."
"The beard is a superfluous ornament."
About Peter the Great (1672-1725)
Russian tsar (1682-1725) who Westernized Russia, founded St. Petersburg, and built Russia into a European great power. Closely associated with Catherine the Great (later Westernizing Russian empress). For an intellectual contrast, see Old Believers, Russian Orthodox traditionalist movement that rejected Patriarch Nikon's reforms and Peter's modernization — Peter's beard-shaving decrees, Western dress laws, and calendar changes triggered a religious-cultural schism — the founding poles of Russia's eternal 'European modernity vs Slavic tradition' debate that runs through Slavophiles, Solzhenitsyn, and contemporary Putin-era ideology.
Details
Attributed reflection on his personal failures
Date: Unknown, 17th-18th century
War & ConflictVerification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: gemini
1 source checked