I always thought I was Jeanne d'Arc and Bonaparte. How little one knows oneself.
Charles De GaulleRead
One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day was; one cannot judge life until death.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life's value can only be truly understood at its conclusion, just as the beauty of a day is revealed at its end.
This quote by Charles De Gaulle suggests that one can't fully appreciate the experiences and events of life until they have reached its conclusion. Just as we wait until evening to reflect on the splendor of the day, we must wait until the end of life to gain a true understanding of its significance and beauty. It encourages patience and a deeper perspective on our journey, implying that judgment should be reserved for the end rather than based on transient moments.
Themes
LifeJudgmentPerspectiveReflectionDeath
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a graduation speech to highlight the importance of reflection.
More from Charles De Gaulle
All quotes →Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.
Charles De GaulleRead
Today we are crushed by the sheer weight of the mechanized forces hurled against us, but we can still look to the future in which even greater mechanized forces will bring us victory. Therein lies the destiny of the world.
Charles De GaulleRead
The perfection preached in the gospels never yet built an empire. Every man of action has a strong dose of egotism, pride, hardness, and cunning.
Charles De GaulleRead
Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n'ont pas cédé. [Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.]
Charles De GaulleRead
A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless.
Charles De GaulleRead
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