A throne is only a bench covered with velvet.

If I were to give liberty to the press, my power could not last three days.

All authority is in the throne; and what is the throne? This wooden frame covered with velvet? No, I am the throne.

I did not usurp the crown. I picked it up from the gutter; the people placed it on my head. I was king of the people as the Bourbons are kings of the nobles.

Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly consult.

But on the whole it is wise in human affairs, and in the government of men, to separate pomp from power.