Quotes by Catherine the Great

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If you see your neighbor's vices, do not show yours by judging his.

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Winners are not judged.

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After overcoming a difficulty, man feels satisfied.

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The rose is the mother of boredom and many other vices.

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The rules of education are the first steps that prepare us to become citizens.

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Show your confidence only to him who has the courage to oppose you, and who prefers you for your fame and not for your mercy.

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Never allow flatterers to trouble you: let them know you like neither praise nor backbiting.

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Man should not be ashamed to admit his mistake.

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Trivial rules and pitiful subtleties should not have access to your heart.

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People themselves are often the cause of their happiness and unhappiness.

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Love of country, shame and fear of being vilified are powerful means of suppressing many crimes.

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Sometimes a conversation with an ignoramus teaches us more than a conversation with some scholars.

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A man with a mind will always find an occupation.

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The good-hearted man tries to turn every thing and every activity into something good; The evil-hearted man tries to find evil in something good.

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Even a man of mediocre mind can be skilled, if he makes an effort.

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Keep in your heart those remarkable qualities of soul which are the distinguishing feature of the honest man, the remarkable man, and the hero. Beware of any kind of artificiality. Let the poison of vulgarity not darken in your heart the ever-present taste for honor and bravery.

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Science is an ornament to the happy man and a refuge to the unhappy.

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A difficulty is overcome by work.

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To bear in the soul something that another cannot bear is to have a hard heart, but to do good that another could not do is a thing of praise.

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Do good for the sake of good, and not for the sake of praise or gratitude. The good done is itself a reward.

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If you do someone a favor, you do it yourself.

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Improving the methods of education is the best and also the most difficult way to make people better.

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A wise man is not ashamed to learn in his old age what he did not learn in his youth.

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Better to find justification in ten guilty than to blame one innocent.

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Better to learn a hundred years than to remain uneducated all your life.

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Lying is the most harmful of sins.

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We must awaken in them (the young) the pleasure of hard work and the fear of old age, which is the source of all evils and all errors.

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Study men, try to make use of them, and do not trust them indiscriminately; look for true value, even if it is to be found at the end of the world: it is often modest and (hiding somewhere) far away. Heroism is not born in the crowd, it is not greedy, it does not stir and it does not let itself be forgotten.

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The skilful archer, if he misses the mark, does not blame the bow or the arrows, but looks for the cause within himself; nor does he lose his good humor and cheerfulness, just for this much.

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Books, even if they don't speak, are a mirror that tell about everyone's guilt and sin.

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He who is envious and wants sometimes one thing, sometimes another, will not have joy.

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The man who does not rejoice in the midst of gaiety is either sick or has evil thoughts.

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Consciousness is an inner, hidden light that illuminates man exclusively and speaks softly to him; gently touching the soul, awakens the feelings in it, and follows the man everywhere without a trace of mercy.

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Trândăvia is a bad teacher.

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He who is satisfied with his condition is happy.

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He who is used to work makes everything easier.

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The old age of one who has not learned in his youth is dull.

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Abusive words are an offense not only to the one who hears them, but also to the one who utters them.

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Listen to every word that deserves attention; let all see that you think and feel as you ought to think and feel. Act in such a way that good people love you, bad people fear you, and everyone respects you.

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Honor your parents at any age.

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There is nothing perfect in the world.

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We must show patience in whatever we do. We must also be patient with people who have made mistakes.

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Be gentle, humane, approachable, merciful and generous; let not your greatness be an obstacle to benevolent relations with little men, put yourselves in their position, and thus your kindness will not diminish either the power you have, or the respect of others.

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Every parent must refrain in the presence of their children not only from actions, but also from words that can lead to injustice or violence, such as: cursing, swearing, beating or any other kind of aggressive gesture, and not must allow those around the children to set such bad examples.

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Every child is born ignorant. The duty of the parents is to give the child science.

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It is much better to prevent crimes than to punish them.

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Hypocrisy is alien to great men: they despise all mischief.

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The child shows his gratitude to his parents through obedience and respect.

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The true mistress must be decent, modest, cautious, God-fearing, respect her mother-in-law and father-in-law, raise her children in an atmosphere of love, justice, be kind to relatives, listen only to good words, and avoid lies, not to be lazy and tight-fisted.

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I praise loudly, I judge delicately!