Sublime

While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.

HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Those who honor the Way and Virtue are not fond of weapons. They keep hatred from their hearts. They eliminate disaster before it arises. They are angered by nothing. They use kindness among neighbors and virtue among strangers. They conquer their enemies without fighting and command through humility.”

Richard Nixon confiait à quelques journalistes que de Gaulle était un des rares hommes du monde dont on pouvait dire qu’il était plus grand que le pouvoir qu’il représentait. Nixon avait connu Eisenhower, Churchill, Adenauer et de Gaulle. « Tous les quatre étaient également des géants, disait-il. Mais c’est probablement le général de Gaulle qui eut

Mais ce qui fait le génie d’un homme est parfois aussi son malheur. Et le génie de Magellan, c’est la patience. Chez lui le sentiment du devoir est plus fort que le désir de rentrer en vainqueur et de recevoir les remerciements de l’empereur.

A king does not expend his substance to enslave men, but by his conduct and example makes them free.

Most notably, he was known for his willingness to share his blessings. “He was so generous that he sheltered and fed all his friends, rich or poor,” according to Vasari. He was not motivated by wealth or material possessions. In his notebooks, he decried “men who desire nothing but material riches and are absolutely devoid of the desire for wisdom,

“It is a strategic error to place oneself in a situation contradictory to the moral character of this war,” de Gaulle reminded Churchill.