"Why do you think that at 67 I would start a career as a dictator?"

"The true statesman is one who can see the future and prepare for it."

"I have tried to lift France out of the mud. But she will return to her errors and vomitings. I cannot prevent the French from being French."

"The state is the ultimate expression of the nation."

"I have always believed that France has a rendezvous with destiny."