31 quotes
Napoleon's Defiance Against Abdication
Emperor Napoleon I of France
I can't believe my ears. You all stand before me, waving a piece of paper, crying abdicate, abdicate! I WILL NOT!!! I WILL NOT, NOT, NOT!!!
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A Father's Desire in Challenging Times
Napoleon Bonaparte
Le Bedoyere, do you have any children?
Le Bedoyere
Yes, sire; one son, very young, no taller than your boot.
Napoleon Bonaparte
And if he were with you, would you want him with you here today?
Le Bedoyere
Yes, sire.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Yes, why?
Le Bedoyere
So he could see you, sire.
Napoleon Bonaparte
See me? You know, I have a son. I'd give anything in the world to see him. I'd give my heart, I'd give my life, but not here. I wouldn't want him to witness this battle here today.
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Fear of the Unknown in Battle
Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
I don't know what they'll do to the enemy; but, by God, they frighten me.
[referring to his army]
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Legacy Beyond Glory
Napoleon Bonaparte
When I am dead and gone what will the world say of me?
Le Bedoyere
They'll say that you extended the limits of glory, sire.
Napoleon Bonaparte
The limits of glory'; is that all I have to leave to my son, the limits of glory'?
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Strategic Plans Against the French Forces
Lord Uxbridge
Sir.
[clears throat]
Duke of Wellington
Ah, Uxbridge.
[removing his copy of The Times from over his face]
Lord Uxbridge
As I am second-in-command and in case anything should happen to you, what are your plans?
Duke of Wellington
To beat the French.
[brightly; goes back to sleep, replacing the newspaper over his head]
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Napoleon's Identity with France
Emperor Napoleon I of France
I am France, and France is me!
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Napoleon and Wellington's Meeting at Waterloo
Taglines
ONE INCREDIBLE AFTERNOON NAPOLEON MET WELLINGTON...AT WATERLOO
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Strategic Advice on Handling Adversaries
Emperor Napoleon I of France
Never interrupt your enemy while he's making a mistake. That's bad manners.
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Advancing Forward in Battle Strategy
Duke of Wellington
The whole line will advance.
Lord Uxbridge
In which direction your grace?
Duke of Wellington
Why, straight ahead to be sure.
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Indulging Distractions in Times of Conflict
William De Lancey
Shall I shut them up, Sir?
Duke of Wellington
No, no, indulge it . Anything that wastes time is good. Indulge it. Normally I don't like cheering, but there's always a time to cut cards with the Devil.
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Napoleon Faces War and Betrayal
Napoleon Bonaparte
Well they've done it! The whole of Europe has declared war against me! Not against France, but against me.
Le Bedoyere
They dignify you sire by making you a Nation!
Napoleon Bonaparte
Dignify? Dignify? They deny me the decency of law! They make it legal that any clown can kill me.
[laughing]
Michel Ney
Well we've fought with mud in our boots before!
Napoleon Bonaparte
Yes well, I'll discuss peace over Wellington's dead body, that's my peace table!
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Exaggeration in Military Loyalty and Promises
King Louis XVIII
I know you loved this man.
Michel Ney
I did, once. But I promise you, that I will bring him back to Paris in an iron cage.
[exits]
King Louis XVIII
How they exaggerate, these soldiers, "In an iron cage"? Nobody asked for that.
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The Melancholy of Victory in Battle
Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Next to a battle lost, there's nothing so melancholy as a battle won.
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A demand for night or Blücher's presence
Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Give me night, or give me Blücher.
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The Legacy of the Battle of Waterloo
Taglines
The Men, the Battle, The Glory, The World Will Remember Forever
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Resilience in the Face of Defeat
Emperor Napoleon I of France
I've been in this position before at the ]. I lost the battle at five o'clock, but I won it back again at seven!
[[w:Battle of Marengo|Battle of Marengo]
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War and Honor in Leadership
Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
By God, that man does war honor.
[on Napolean's maneuver that split the English and Prussian armies]
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Strategic Decisions in Warfare
British artillery commander
Sir, Napoleon has ventured within range. May I have your permission to try a shot?
Duke of Wellington
Certainly not! Leaders of armies have better things to do than fire at each other.
[stares at him a moment]
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A Regretful Reflection on War Decisions
Officer
Sire! The Prussians are in the woods! Blücher is in the woods!
Napoleon Bonaparte
If I made one mistake in my life, I should have burned Berlin.
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Questioning the Pursuit of Wellington
Michel Ney
Wellington's on the run! I caught him at Quatre Bras! He's retreating!
Napoleon Bonaparte
If Wellington's retreating, what are you doing here?
Michel Ney
But, Sire...
Napoleon Bonaparte
If Wellington's retreating, what are you doing here? Why didn't you follow him? Why didn't you pursue?
Michel Ney
where are the reinforcements you promised me?
[Raises voice]
Napoleon Bonaparte
Don't you dare criticize me! Don't you dare! Don't you see if Wellington's free to choose his ground then everything I've won in this campaign you've lost!
[shouting]
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Acknowledging a General's Excellence
Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
You really are the best of my generals.
[to the Duchess of Richmond about arranging the ball]
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A Strategic Decision at Waterloo
Napoleon Bonaparte
Cross the river. Tomorrow we will dry our boots in Brussels.
Michel Ney
God willing, sire.
Napoleon Bonaparte
God? God has nothing to do with it.
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Class Divides and Expectations of Sacrifice
Duchess of Richmond
They're the salt of England, Arthur.
[referring to the English troops]
Duke of Wellington
Scum. Nothing but beggars and scoundrels, all of them. Gin is the spirit of their patriotism.
Duchess of Richmond
Yet you expect them to die for you?
Duke of Wellington
Um-hum.
Duchess of Richmond
Out of duty?
Duke of Wellington
Um-hum.
Duchess of Richmond
I doubt if even Bonaparte could draw men to him by duty.
Duke of Wellington
Oh, Boney's not a gentleman.
Duchess of Richmond
Arthur! What an Englishman you are.
Duke of Wellington
On the field of battle his hat is worth fifty thousand men; but he is not a gentleman.
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A Call for Silence and Caution
Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Stop that useless noise...! You'll hurt yourself.
[to a trumpeter, trying fruitlessly to recall the British cavalry]
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Napoleon's Admiration for English Qualities
Emperor Napoleon I of France
This Englishman has two qualities I admire: caution, and above all, courage.
[thinks to himself, about Wellington]
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Embrace Ruthlessness in Battle
Field Marshall Gebhard von Blücher
Raise high the black flags, children. No pity. No prisoners. I'll shoot any man I see with pity in him. Forward!
[launching his attack on the French right]
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A Casual Acknowledgment of Loss
Lord Uxbridge
By God sir, I've lost my leg.
Duke of Wellington
By God sir, so you have.
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Claiming the Crown: A Leader's Justification
Emperor Napoleon I of France
To my dear Prince Alexis... I did not "usurp" the crown. I found it, in the gutter, and I, I picked it up with my sword, and it was the people, Alexis, the people who put it on my head. He who saves a nation violates no law.
[dictating a letter]
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Napoleon Challenges His Soldiers in Battle
Emperor Napoleon I of France
Soldiers of the 5th, do you recognise me? If... you want to kill your Emperor... here I am. FIRE!
[pause]
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A Call to Arms from Marshal Ney
Marshal Michel Ney
Up to them. Up to them! Do I fight alone? Are you French? Fight with me! Are you the Guard? Stand with me! Do you know me? I am Ney! Ney, Marshal of France!
[attempting to rally the Imperial Guard]
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The Impact of the Battle of Waterloo
Taglines
Waterloo. The battle that changed the face of the world.
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