"A man loses contact with reality if he is not surrounded by his books."

François Mitterrand Politics See all quotes by François Mitterrand →

quotekg

React to this quote

More by François Mitterrand

“There exists in our country a solid continuity of Bonapartism, where the vocation for grandeur of France, the monarchist tradition, and the passion for national unity, the Jacobin tradition get together.”

“I believe in the forces of the spirit, and I won't leave you.”

“In such countries, genocide is not too important…”

“French President Poll”

“For me Greece is Maria Farantouri. This is how I imagined Goddess Hera to be: strong, pure and vigilant. I have never encountered any other artist able to give me such a strong sense of the divine.”

“Mitterrand's Legacy" in The Nation”

Resonant Thoughts

"I've sued my manager for sexual harassment. And it's real hard, and a big strain on me. Because he hasn't done anything."

— Sarah Silverman

Entertainment1970

#truth

"The truth is, about the Middle East is, had there been no oil there, it would be like Africa. Nobody is threatening to intervene in Africa."

— Wesley Clark

Military1944

#truth

"We wallow in nostalgia but manage to get it all wrong. True nostalgia is an ephemeral composition of disjointed memories but American-style nostalgia is about as ephemeral as copyrighted déjà vu."

— Florence King

Literature1936–2016

#truth

"There is a power in public opinion in this country- and I thank God for it: for it is the most honest and best of all powers- which will not tolerate an incompetent or unworthy man to hold in his weak…"

— Martin Van Buren

1812–1855

#truth