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The first of all empires is that which one has over one's desires.

— Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture (1709)

Le premier de tous les empires est celui qu'on a sur ses désirs.

Original text (French)

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Source: Book IV, Article II, 3rd proposition, p. 576
Work: Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture, 1709
Source quality: Precise citation Points to a specific work with a page, chapter, date or similar locator, so you can look it up.

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