Georges Pompidou

“A statesman is a politician who places himself at the service of the nation. A politician is a statesman who places the nation at his service.”

“But stop bothering the French!”

“There are three roads to ruin; women, gambling and technicians. The most pleasant is with women, the quickest is with gambling, but the surest is with technicians.”

“Art is what makes life more interesting than art.”

“The city must not be a museum, it must be a city.”

“A people that is not sure of its future has no future.”

“The future lasts a long time.”

“To govern is to choose.”

“Are the French happy? It's a question that we can't really answer, because it's a question that you should never ask.”