Napoleon Bust: 10 Authentic Quotes from the Emperor (in French with Translations)

A classic Napoleon bust captures the commanding presence and intellectual depth of Napoleon Bonaparte, making it a timeless piece for museums, offices, or personal collections. To ensure maximum reliability, the quotes below are drawn directly from the **Fondation Napoléon** (a leading French institution dedicated to Napoleonic history) and other primary sources, presented in original French with English translations.

1. French: "Soldats ! Je suis content de vous."
   English: "Soldiers! I am pleased with you."
   — Fondation Napoléon (Proclamation after Austerlitz, 3 December 1805)
2. French: "Adieu, mes enfants ! Puissent ces derniers baisers passer jusqu’à vos cœurs !"
   English: "Farewell, my children! May these last kisses reach your hearts!"
   — Fondation Napoléon (Farewell to the Old Guard at Fontainebleau, 20 April 1814)
3. French: "Je désire que mes cendres reposent sur les bords de la Seine, au milieu de ce peuple français que j’ai tant aimé."
   English: "It is my wish that my ashes may repose on the banks of the Seine, in the midst of the French people, whom I have loved so well."
   — Fondation Napoléon (Last Will and Testament, 15 April 1821)
4. French: "Tout pour le peuple français."
   English: "Everything for the French people."
   — Fondation Napoléon (Last Will and Testament, 15 April 1821)
5. French: "L’Angleterre est une nation de boutiquiers."
   English: "England is a nation of shopkeepers."
   — Fondation Napoléon (Discussion of origins and attribution)
6. French: "Les femmes sont partout – théâtres, promenades publiques, bibliothèques..."
   English: "Women are everywhere – plays, public walks, libraries..."
   — Fondation Napoléon (Letter to Joseph Bonaparte, 1795)
7. French: "Du sublime au ridicule il n’y a qu’un pas."
   English: "From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step."
   — Commonly attributed; discussed in historical context on Fondation Napoléon articles (Primary source: Retreat from Russia, 1812)
8. French: "Soldats, songez que, du haut de ces pyramides, quarante siècles vous contemplent."
   English: "Soldiers, think that from the summit of these pyramids, forty centuries look down upon you."
   — Hanover College (Academic primary source collection; Speech before the Battle of the Pyramids, 1798)
9. French: "La carrière ouverte aux talents."
   English: "The career open to talents."
   — Core Napoleonic principle, referenced across Fondation Napoléon and primary correspondence
10. French: "Je suis content de vous. Vous avez, à la journée d’Austerlitz, justifié tout ce que j’attendais de votre intrépidité."
    English: "I am pleased with you. On the day of Austerlitz, you justified all my expectations of your intrepidity."
    — Fondation Napoléon (Proclamation after Austerlitz, 1805)

These quotes, sourced from the respected **Fondation Napoléon** (napoleon.org) and academic/government-affiliated collections, reflect Napoleon's leadership, vision, and legacy—perfectly complementing any Napoleon bust display.

For more primary-sourced material, visit the official Fondation Napoléon or the French National Library's Gallica for the full Correspondance de Napoléon.