---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as Napoleon was the sole authority…"
description: "\"“Just as Napoleon was the sole authority in the state, so the husband and father was to exercise authority over his family. Unfortunately the only poss..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/j-christopher-herold-30177_authority_just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority_611307.jpg"
---

#  Just as Napoleon was the sole authority in the state, so…

![“Just as Napoleon was the sole authority in the state, so the husband and father was to exercise authority over his family. Unfortunately the only possible result of despotism on either level is hypocrisy.” quote by J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/j-christopher-herold-30177_authority_just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority_611307.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/j-christopher-herold-30177_authority_just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority_611307.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/j-christopher-herold-30177_authority_just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority_611307.jpg)

> ““Just as Napoleon was the sole authority in the state, so the husband and father was to exercise authority over his family. Unfortunately the only possible result of despotism on either level is hypocrisy.””

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage compares absolute political authority to patriarchal family authority, warning that such despotism inevitably leads to hypocrisy.

**In simple terms:** Absolute power in family or state breeds hypocrisy.

Key Takeaway

Avoid authoritarian control in any hierarchy.

Themes

power authority family politics

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political social

When to use this quote

- parenting
- government
- organizational leadership
- social structures

Key Concepts

despotism hypocrisy legitimacy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does authority become hypocrisy?
- Can families function without hierarchy?

A Different Perspective

May ignore benefits of structured leadership.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Authority Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority-family-4963459/) [Despotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism/) [Despotism Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism-level-4963458/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-values/) [Husband and father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband-and-father/) [Hypocrisy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrisy/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Napoleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/napoleon/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Result Despotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/result-despotism-4963457/)

## Related quotes

> [“A provisional government was appointed on April 1 (it consisted mainly of Talleyrand's whist partners), and the following day the Senate, on Talleyrand's urging,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/a-provisional-government-was-appointed-on-april-1-it-consisted-mainly/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“The war against Napoleon was won not by England but by Russia, Austria, and Prussia; but England won the last battle and she won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-war-against-napoleon-was-won-not-by-england-but-by-russia-austria/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“Madame Tallien shared honors with Josephine Beauharnais in being mistress to Barras, an ex-nobleman and ex-terrorist whose appetite for beautiful women, beautiful young men,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/madame-tallien-shared-honors-with-josephine-beauharnais-in-being/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“Napoleon loved only himself, but, unlike Hitler, he hated nobody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/napoleon-loved-only-himself-but-unlike-hitler-he-hated-nobody/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“Historians are lenient to those who succeed and stern to those who fail; in this, and this alone, they display strong political sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/historians-are-lenient-to-those-who-succeed-and-stern-to-those-who/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“The right-wing Tories and the conservative Whigs fought Napoleon as the Usurper and the Enemy of the Established Order; the liberal Tories and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-right-wing-tories-and-the-conservative-whigs-fought-napoleon-as/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [The Allies had made war on Napoleon as a tyrant and an oppressor of nations; yet once they had him out of the way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-allies-had-made-war-on-napoleon-as-a-tyrant-and-an-oppressor-of-2/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [ “The popular image \[in England\] of Bonaparte as a blood-stained tyrant and bandit was admittedly exaggerated, but instinct told even the most radical among… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-popular-image-in-england-of-bonaparte-as-a-blood-stained-tyrant/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [The Allies had made war on Napoleon as a tyrant and an oppressor of nations; yet once they had got him out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-allies-had-made-war-on-napoleon-as-a-tyrant-and-an-oppressor-of/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“Greatness has its beauties, but only in retrospect and in the imagination": thus wrote General Bonaparte to General Moreau in 1800. His observation helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/greatness-has-its-beauties-but-only-in-retrospect-and-in-the/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [I urge the husbands and fathers of this church to be the kind of a man your wife would not want to be without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/i-urge-the-husbands-and-fathers-of-this-church-to-be-the-kind-of-a/)

[James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/)

> [Providing for one's family as a good husband and father is a water-tight excuse for making money hand over fist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-figes/providing-for-one-s-family-as-a-good-husband-and-father-is-a-water/)

[Eva Figes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-figes/)

> [I love you Rush Finlay. You are going to be the best husband and father the world has ever known. One day our son’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/i-love-you-rush-finlay-you-are-going-to-be-the-best-husband-and/)

[Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/)

> [“...it seemed almost inconceivable that in his short marriage to Althea she had, in her quiet way, left him feeling not only worthy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus-iii/it-seemed-almost-inconceivable-that-in-his-short-marriage-to-althea/)

[Andre Dubus III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus-iii/)

> [I've written a book; I've become a better husband and father because I'm home every day. My connection to the Hollywood world has only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-washington/i-ve-written-a-book-i-ve-become-a-better-husband-and-father-because-i/)

[Isaiah Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-washington/)

## More by J. Christopher Herold

> [“Greatness has its beauties, but only in retrospect and in the imagination": thus wrote General Bonaparte to General Moreau in 1800. His observation helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/greatness-has-its-beauties-but-only-in-retrospect-and-in-the/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [Napoleon, who had an aversion to the moral laxity of the eighteenth century, which he blamed on the domination of society by women, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/napoleon-who-had-an-aversion-to-the-moral-laxity-of-the-eighteenth/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [The Allies had made war on Napoleon as a tyrant and an oppressor of nations; yet once they had got him out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-allies-had-made-war-on-napoleon-as-a-tyrant-and-an-oppressor-of/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [Those who mistake their good luck for their merit are inevitably bound for disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/those-who-mistake-their-good-luck-for-their-merit-are-inevitably/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [ “The popular image \[in England\] of Bonaparte as a blood-stained tyrant and bandit was admittedly exaggerated, but instinct told even the most radical among… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-popular-image-in-england-of-bonaparte-as-a-blood-stained-tyrant/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [ His \[Pitt's\] successor as prime minister was Mr. Addington, who was a friend of Mr. Pitt, just as Mr. Pitt was a friend of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/his-pitt-s-successor-as-prime-minister-was-mr-addington-who-was-a/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [There is, of course, nothing wrong in a program that aims to please everybody, except that as a rule it is a prelude to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/there-is-of-course-nothing-wrong-in-a-program-that-aims-to-please/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [The Allies had made war on Napoleon as a tyrant and an oppressor of nations; yet once they had him out of the way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-allies-had-made-war-on-napoleon-as-a-tyrant-and-an-oppressor-of-2/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“The right-wing Tories and the conservative Whigs fought Napoleon as the Usurper and the Enemy of the Established Order; the liberal Tories and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-right-wing-tories-and-the-conservative-whigs-fought-napoleon-as/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“Historians are lenient to those who succeed and stern to those who fail; in this, and this alone, they display strong political sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/historians-are-lenient-to-those-who-succeed-and-stern-to-those-who/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“The English soldier was probably the worst-treated soldier in Europe, and judging from the English casualty rates during the Napoleonic wars, English generals were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-english-soldier-was-probably-the-worst-treated-soldier-in-europe/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [A collective insanity seemed to have seized the nation and turned them into something worse than beasts. The princess de Lamballe, Marie Antoinette's intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/a-collective-insanity-seemed-to-have-seized-the-nation-and-turned/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“Napoleon loved only himself, but, unlike Hitler, he hated nobody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/napoleon-loved-only-himself-but-unlike-hitler-he-hated-nobody/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“Madame Tallien shared honors with Josephine Beauharnais in being mistress to Barras, an ex-nobleman and ex-terrorist whose appetite for beautiful women, beautiful young men,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/madame-tallien-shared-honors-with-josephine-beauharnais-in-being/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“The war against Napoleon was won not by England but by Russia, Austria, and Prussia; but England won the last battle and she won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/the-war-against-napoleon-was-won-not-by-england-but-by-russia-austria/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

[Explore all 17 J. Christopher Herold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

## More Authority quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/)

[Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/)

[Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/)

[Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/)

[Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Just as Napoleon was the sole authority in the state, so the husband and father was to exercise authority over his family. Unfortunately the only possible result of despotism on either level is hypocrisy.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "J. Christopher Herold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority-in-the-state-so-the-husband/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority-in-the-state-so-the-husband/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/j-christopher-herold-30177_authority_just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority_611307.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/j-christopher-herold-30177_authority_just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority_611307.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/j-christopher-herold-30177_authority_just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority_611307.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Just as Napoleon was the sole authority in the state, so the husband and father was to exercise authority…” — J. Christopher Herold",
                "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": "J. Christopher Herold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Just as Napoleon was the sole...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority-in-the-state-so-the-husband/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/just-as-napoleon-was-the-sole-authority-in-the-state-so-the-husband/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```