“That is just it, work is my element; I was born and made for it. I have found the limits of my legs; I have found the limits of my eyes; but I have never been able to find the limits of my labour.”
Napoleon Bonaparte
The Memorial of Saint Helena (Secondary source)
The Memorial of Saint Helena is a detailed account by Emmanuel de Las Cases of Napoleon Bonaparte’s reflections, conversations, and recollections during his exile on Saint Helena (1815-1816). Blending memoir, dialogue, and political philosophy, it offers an intimate portrait of Napoleon’s mind and became one of the most influential Napoleonic testimonies.
More about “The Memorial of Saint Helena” →
“At dinner, he told us that he was much better, and we pointed out to him, about this, that, for some time however, he had not been out, and had been working eight, ten, or twelve hours a day. That is just it, said he: work is my element; I was born and made for it. I have found the limits of my legs; I have found the limits of my eyes; but I have never been able to find the limits of my labour.”
Napoleon Bonaparte
“Imagination rules the world.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte Secondary source“Everything tells me I shall succeed.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte Primary source“A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte Disputed“Men who hesitate never succeed in their undertakings.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte DisputedMore quotes by Napoleon Bonaparte →
“Let every new year find you a better man.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Work could cure almost anything.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary source“Necessity never made a good bargain.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“But I have found out that though the ways in which I can make myself useful are few, yet the work open to me is endless.”
— Helen Keller Primary source