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Quotes by Louis XIV, French Royalty

There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself. ~ by King Louis XIV

Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any sovereign in history whose date is verifiable. Although Louis XIV’s France was emblematic of the Age of Absolutism in Europe, the King surrounded himself with a variety of significant political, military, and cultural figures, such as Bossuet, Colbert, Le Brun, Le Nôtre, Lully, Mazarin, Molière, Racine, Turenne, and Vauban.

Louis XIV’s early years were marked by the Fronde, a series of civil wars that pitted the French nobility against the monarchy. The Fronde ended in 1653 with the triumph of the monarchy, but it left a lasting mark on Louis XIV. He came to view the nobility as a threat to his power and resolved to strengthen the monarchy at their expense.

King Louis XIV’s reign was marked by a number of significant achievements. He expanded the French empire, built a powerful army and navy, and patronized the arts and sciences. He also moved the French court to the Palace of Versailles, which became a symbol of his power and prestige.

However, his reign was also marked by a number of failures. He revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had granted religious freedom to Protestants in France, and he engaged in a series of costly wars that drained the French treasury. He also failed to produce a male heir, which led to a succession crisis after his death.

The King died on 1 September 1715 at the age of 76. He was succeeded by his great-grandson, Louis XV. Louis XIV’s reign was one of the most consequential in French history. He left a legacy of both great achievements and great failures, and his reign continues to be debated by historians today.

Quotes by Louis XIV

  • I am the state.
  • The Pyrenees are no more.
  • Always follow good counsels.
  • It is legal because I wish it.
  • I am dying, but the state remains.
  • Laws are the sovereigns of sovereigns.
  • It is impossible to please all the world.
  • Has God forgotten all I have done for Him.
  • First feelings are always the most natural.
  • Ah, if I were not king, I should lose my temper.
  • I could sooner reconcile all Europe than two women.
  • There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself.
  • We can do all we wish while we live; afterward, we are less than the meanest.
  • Render to God what you owe him; recognize the obligations you are under to him.
  • That’s what troubles me: I should like to suffer more for the expiation of my sins.
  • Every time I appoint someone to a vacant position, I make a hundred unhappy and one ungrateful.
  • My court was divided between peace and war according to their various interests, but I considered only their reasons.
  • I have made my will; I have been tormented to do it. I have bought repose; I know the powerlessness and inutility of it.
  • As for restitutions, to nobody in particular do I owe any, but as for those I owe to the realm, I hope in the mercy of God.
  • The ministers of kings should learn to moderate their ambition. The higher they elevate themselves above their proper sphere, the greater the danger that they will fall.

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