--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You must, of course. Robespierre doesn’t…" description: "\"“You must, of course. Robespierre doesn’t lie or cheat or steal, doesn’t get drunk, doesn’t fornicate—overmuch. He’s not a hedonist or a mainchancer or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/hilary-mantel-440_french-revolution_you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-l_1085356.jpg" --- # You must, of course. Robespierre doesn’t lie or cheat or… ![“You must, of course. Robespierre doesn’t lie or cheat or steal, doesn’t get drunk, doesn’t fornicate—overmuch. He’s not a hedonist or a mainchancer or a breaker of promises.” Danton grinned. “But what’s the use of all this goodness? People don’t try to emulate you. Instead they just pull the wool…” quote by Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/hilary-mantel-440_french-revolution_you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-l_1085356.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/hilary-mantel-440_french-revolution_you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-l_1085356.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/hilary-mantel-440_french-revolution_you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-l_1085356.jpg) > ““You must, of course. Robespierre doesn’t lie or cheat or steal, doesn’t get drunk, doesn’t fornicate—overmuch. He’s not a hedonist or a mainchancer or a breaker of promises.” Danton grinned. “But what’s the use of all this goodness? People don’t try to emulate you. Instead they just pull the wool over your eyes.”” [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Danton questions moral strictness is useless if people don’t emulate it, suggesting virtue alone cannot change society **In simple terms:** Goodness without influence is ineffective Key Takeaway Virtue must be paired with persuasive action to matter Themes morality influence politics illusion Mood skeptical thoughtful Type political philosophical When to use this quote - politician - activist - teacher - parent Key Concepts ethical philosophy social dynamics leadership Questions to Reflect On - What makes moral behavior persuasive? - How can virtue be made socially effective? A Different Perspective Good intentions can be ignored if not communicated compellingly ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [French revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/french-revolution/) [Robespierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robespierre/) ## Related quotes > [“Robespierre has never forgiven his friends the injuries he has done them, nor the kindnesses he has received from them, nor the talents some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/robespierre-has-never-forgiven-his-friends-the-injuries-he-has-done/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“People said— though this felt like a heresy— that they had seen Camille make Robespierre laugh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-said-though-this-felt-like-a-heresy-that-they-had-seen-camille/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The Robespierre women (as one tended to think of them now) were all on display. Madame looked actively, rather intimidatingly benevolent; it was her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-robespierre-women-as-one-tended-to-think-of-them-now-were-all-on/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“...and I sometimes think that the fading out of the individual personality is what one should desire, not the status of a hero—a sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/and-i-sometimes-think-that-the-fading-out-of-the-individual/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“In the Convention tomorrow I shall put him up to confront Saint-Just. Imagine it. Our man the picture of starched rectitude, and looking as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/in-the-convention-tomorrow-i-shall-put-him-up-to-confront-saint-just/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Ask Robespierre. Ask the man with the conscience which is more important, your friend or your country— ask him how he weighs an individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/ask-robespierre-ask-the-man-with-the-conscience-which-is-more/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The Republic is six months old, and it’s flying apart. It has no cohesive force—only a monarchy has that. Surely you can see? We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-republic-is-six-months-old-and-it-s-flying-apart-it-has-no/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“In Paris the swaying lanterns are lit in the streets; lights shine through water, fuzzy, diffuse. Saint-Just sits by an insufficient fire, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/in-paris-the-swaying-lanterns-are-lit-in-the-streets-lights-shine/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Talking to Robespierre, one tried to make the right noises; but what is right, these days? Address yourself to the militant, and you find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/talking-to-robespierre-one-tried-to-make-the-right-noises-but-what-is/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“I resent you—” Robespierre said. His words were lost. “The People,” he shouted, “are everywhere good, and if they obstruct the Revolution—even, for example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-resent-you-robespierre-said-his-words-were-lost-the-people-he/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“I want to make love to the French Revolution. Or maybe just get some head from Robespierre.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-want-to-make-love-to-the-french-revolution-or-maybe-just-get-some/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“A sensibility that wails almost exclusively over the enemies of liberty seems suspect to me. Stop shaking the tyrant's bloody robe in my face,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximilien-robespierre/a-sensibility-that-wails-almost-exclusively-over-the-enemies-of/) [Maximilien Robespierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximilien-robespierre/) > [ You \[Robespierre\] will follow us soon. Your house will be beaten down and salt sown in the place where it stood. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-danton/you-robespierre-will-follow-us-soon-your-house-will-be-beaten-down/) [Georges Danton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-danton/) > [“I have always been interested in this man . My father had a set of Tom Paine 's books on the shelf at home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-have-always-been-interested-in-this-man-my-father-had-a-set-of-tom/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I have left my balls to Robespierre and my legs to Couthon. That should help the Committee of Public Safety for a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-danton/i-have-left-my-balls-to-robespierre-and-my-legs-to-couthon-that/) [Georges Danton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-danton/) ## More by Hilary Mantel > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The hunter is among the most innocent of men; living in the moment makes him feel pure. When he returns in the evening, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-hunter-is-among-the-most-innocent-of-men-living-in-the-moment/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But what would happen … I mean, what would be so awful … if they did meet up?” “Why, it would be like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-what-would-happen-i-mean-what-would-be-so-awful-if-they-did-meet/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [When you have committed enough words to paper, you feel you have a spine stiff enough to stand up in the wind. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-you-have-committed-enough-words-to-paper-you-feel-you-have-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [At New Year's he had given Anne a present of silver forks with handles of rock crystal. He hopes she will use them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-new-year-s-he-had-given-anne-a-present-of-silver-forks-with/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The story of my own childhood is a complicated sentence that I am always trying to finish, to finish and put behind me. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-story-of-my-own-childhood-is-a-complicated-sentence-that-i-am/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“He wants to say, because Anne is not a carnal being, she is a calculating being, with a cold slick brain at work behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-wants-to-say-because-anne-is-not-a-carnal-being-she-is-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Come to that, don't pay out good money for horoscopes. If things are going to go badly for you, is that what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/come-to-that-don-t-pay-out-good-money-for-horoscopes-if-things-are/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But my sins are my strength, he thinks; the sins I have done, that others have not even found the opportunity of committing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-my-sins-are-my-strength-he-thinks-the-sins-i-have-done-that/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Feminism hasn't failed, it's just never been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/feminism-hasn-t-failed-it-s-just-never-been-tried/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Cardinal Campeggio has implored Katherine to bow to the king's will, accept that her marriage is invalid and retire to a convent. Certainly, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/cardinal-campeggio-has-implored-katherine-to-bow-to-the-king-s-will/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Sion calls Anne an eel, he calls her a slippery dipper from the slime, and he remembers what the cardinal had called her: my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/sion-calls-anne-an-eel-he-calls-her-a-slippery-dipper-from-the-slime/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I spend a great deal of time on research, on finding all the available accounts of a scene or incident, finding out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-on-research-on-finding-all-the-available/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“At the front, people die for their mistakes. Why should politicians be more gently treated? They made the war. They deserve a dozen deaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-the-front-people-die-for-their-mistakes-why-should-politicians-be/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) [Explore all 559 Hilary Mantel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## More French revolution quotes > [My principles are only those that, before the French Revolution, every well-born person considered sane and normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/my-principles-are-only-those-that-before-the-french-revolution-every/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) > [The French Revolution gave us three... powerful ideas, or concepts - liberty, equality and fraternity. But these ideas... are not only right in themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-barenboim/the-french-revolution-gave-us-three-powerful-ideas-or-concepts/) [Daniel Barenboim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-barenboim/) > [“Your mother, my mother, and mother of pearl walk into a bar, and the bartender says, “Hello, dad, you look more like whiskey than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/your-mother-my-mother-and-mother-of-pearl-walk-into-a-bar-and-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“The nobility above all could not understand how it could possibly regenerate itself in assemblies where no provision had been made for a supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-siey-s/the-nobility-above-all-could-not-understand-how-it-could-possibly/) Emmanuel Sieyés > [“Revolutionists who took part in uprisings in one part of the globe would often migrate to take part in uprisings in another. Francisco de…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/revolutionists-who-took-part-in-uprisings-in-one-part-of-the-globe/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“The French Revolution, which is nothing more nor less than the ideal armed with the sword, rose abruptly, and by that very movement, closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-french-revolution-which-is-nothing-more-nor-less-than-the-ideal/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [There were two, three or four French Revolutions. Like a multi-stage rocket today, the Revolution involved several successive explosions and propellant thrusts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernand-braudel/there-were-two-three-or-four-french-revolutions-like-a-multi-stage/) [Fernand Braudel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernand-braudel/) > [“Doing nothing is the hardest torture that a person can put himself through. For he is always brought face to face with his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iwan-goll/doing-nothing-is-the-hardest-torture-that-a-person-can-put-himself/) [Iwan Goll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iwan-goll/) > [ It \[August 10th 1792\] was the bloodiest day of the Revolution so far, but also one of the most decisive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-doyle/it-august-10th-1792-was-the-bloodiest-day-of-the-revolution-so-far/) William Doyle > [“They are subjected to all manner of taxes: the tithe, the hearth tax and the capitation tax. When all those are paid, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-scarrow/they-are-subjected-to-all-manner-of-taxes-the-tithe-the-hearth-tax/) [Simon Scarrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-scarrow/) > [“Grace deeply identified with Mead’s view that ideas evolve historically. “Unlike the average American teacher of philosophy of his day,” she wrote, Mead “urged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-ward/grace-deeply-identified-with-mead-s-view-that-ideas-evolve/) [Stephen M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-ward/) > [Unlike the rationalism of the French Revolution, true liberalism has no quarrel with religion, and I can only deplore the militant and essentially illiberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/unlike-the-rationalism-of-the-french-revolution-true-liberalism-has/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [“The historical periods I like to learn about aren’t so much costume dramas as slasher flicks. The French Revolution is a favorite because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-historical-periods-i-like-to-learn-about-aren-t-so-much-costume/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [“You are a monster of selfishness and greed, bearing no loyalty to anyone but yourself, and you prance across the stage and preen as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-messina/you-are-a-monster-of-selfishness-and-greed-bearing-no-loyalty-to/) [Lynn Messina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-messina/) > [“It’s a question of legacy. Who else will do this work but us? The men who rarely include them in retrospectives? The visitors who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-dupal/it-s-a-question-of-legacy-who-else-will-do-this-work-but-us-the-men/) Stephanie Dupal [Browse all 316 French revolution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/french-revolution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You must, of course. Robespierre doesn’t lie or cheat or steal, doesn’t get drunk, doesn’t fornicate—overmuch. He’s not a hedonist or a mainchancer or a breaker of promises.” Danton grinned. “But what’s the use of all this goodness? People don’t try to emulate you. Instead they just pull the wool over your eyes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Mantel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-lie-or-cheat-or-steal-doesn-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "French revolution" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-lie-or-cheat-or-steal-doesn-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/hilary-mantel-440_french-revolution_you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-l_1085356.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/hilary-mantel-440_french-revolution_you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-l_1085356.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/hilary-mantel-440_french-revolution_you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-l_1085356.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You must, of course. Robespierre doesn’t lie or cheat or steal, doesn’t get drunk, doesn’t…” — Hilary Mantel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hilary Mantel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You must, of course. Robespierre doesn’t...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-lie-or-cheat-or-steal-doesn-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/you-must-of-course-robespierre-doesn-t-lie-or-cheat-or-steal-doesn-t/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```