Beware of flatterers - they are robbers in disguise.
Every blow we take when we are angry will eventually backfire on us.
One of the worst mistakes we make is to spoil a good thing through improper use.
The first to get angry is the one who is not right.
He who lives for eternal life does not fear death.
Judgment is above all virtues, because without reason every virtue is empty.
Run all you want after wild animals: this fun is not for me. I must chase the enemies outside the state, and within it tame the wild and obstinate subjects.
Money is the artery of war.
Forgetting your job for the sake of a woman is unforgivable. To be the prisoner of a mistress is worse than to fall a prisoner in war; from the enemy you get freedom sooner than from the fetters of woman.
In case of recognition - forgiveness, for concealment there is no mercy.
Better an open sin than a hidden one.
Evil cannot move quietly.
When the ruler obeys the law, no one dares to break it.
If one begins to speak, the other should not interrupt him, let him finish, as is the case among honest men, not as among presumptuous women.
Peace is good, but don't let drowsiness seize you, let your hands soften, and let the soldiers turn into mule.
Laws and commandments must be clearly written so that they cannot be misinterpreted. Truth is little in the hearts of men, and guile abounds. There are as many galleries in their hearts as under a fortress.
The man without conscience is ungrateful, he is not to be trusted. Better an enemy in sight, Than a flattering and hypocritical scoundrel; he shames the human race.
Victory is decided by the art of war, the courage of commanders and the fearlessness of soldiers. Their chest is the shield and pavement of the homeland.
Procrastination is like death.
I know that I am subject to sins and that I often make mistakes, and I will not be angry with the one who wants to prevent me in such situations and show me the mistakes I make.
I respect those who have acquired their noble title due to services rendered to the country, such as, for example, the race of the Repnins and their ilk; but that of their posterity whose behavior does not rise to the height of their forefathers deserves my contempt; a fool of an unworthy race is more tolerable than one of a noble race.
I foresee that one day, or perhaps even in our lifetime, the Russians will surpass the most enlightened peoples by their successes in the sciences, by their power of work, and by the greatness of fame, brilliant and unshakable.
The divine right of kings - to rule badly.
The disease is a kind of early old age.
There is so much arrogance in every man that his mind cannot help him.
In all parties, assemblies, sects, the rudest are also the most fanatical.
We all float on the waves of the ocean; reason serves as our compass, and passions are the winds that drive us.
All fools have no mood unless they are making fun of someone.
A new commandment said: the happy wait for nothing, lest they be disappointed.
In all my life I have not met a single man who did not endure the troubles of his neighbor as a true Christian.