Skip to content

Henry was the type of ruler who brought to every problem a preconceived solution designed to increase his own power. Most of his time and energy was then devoted to devising ways of forcing others to adopt his point of view.

— Henry II of England John Schlight, Henry II Plantagenet (1973)

Another quote →

Topics

Power

More quotes by Henry II of England

Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?

Becket (1964)

Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?

O wretched Man that I am, who shall deliver me from this turbulent Priest?

Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?!

The Black Adder (1983)

As a by-product of his attempt to solve the problem of law and order, the Plantagenet king was creating the foundation of English common law.

John Schlight, Henry II Plantagenet (1973)

All Henry II of England quotes →

You may also like

The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.

John Adams A Defence of the Constitutions of Government (1787)

There is no governor anywhere; you are all absolutely free. There is no restraint that cannot be escaped.

Robert Anton Wilson

When we see a great man desiring power instead of his real goal we soon recognize that he is sick, or more precisely that his attitude to his work is sick.

Martin Buber What is Man? (1938)

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.

C. S. Lewis God in the Dock (1970)

Attribution

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