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France was built with swords. The fleur-de-lis, symbol of national unity, is only the image of a spear with three pikes.

— Charles de Gaulle La France et son armée (1938)

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More quotes by Charles de Gaulle

France has lost a battle, but France has not lost the war.

France cannot be France without greatness.

Mémoires de guerre (1954)

Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.

Politics, when it is an art and a service, not an exploitation, is about acting for an ideal through realities.

Nothing builds authority up like silence, splendor of the strong and shelter of the weak.

Le Fil de l'épée (1932)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Charles de Gaulle (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.