“You may be sure that the Americans will commit all the stupidities they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination.”
- November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970
- French
- Military Leader, Statesman, President of France, Founder of the Fifth Republic
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Quote
“You may be sure that the Americans will commit all the stupidities they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination.”
Explanation
This quote, laced with both irony and strategic distance, reflects Charles de Gaulle’s critical view of American global behavior, particularly during the Cold War. Though he recognized the United States as a powerful ally and vital force in defeating Nazi Germany, he remained deeply wary of its tendency toward overreach, cultural dominance, and what he saw as naïve or reckless foreign policy decisions. By suggesting that Americans will commit not only foreseeable mistakes but also unimaginable ones, de Gaulle emphasizes what he viewed as an almost boundless capacity for strategic blunder.
This skepticism informed many of his policies. He famously withdrew France from NATO’s integrated command in 1966, asserting France’s independence from American influence in European affairs. He also recognized Communist China before the U.S. did and challenged the dominance of the U.S. dollar in global finance. These moves were grounded not in anti-Americanism per se, but in a belief that France must chart its own course rather than rely on a superpower prone to impulsive or ill-informed choices.
In today’s world, the quote can be read as both a provocation and a warning about great-power hubris. It invites reflection on how powerful nations, particularly those with global ambitions, risk making errors when driven by a sense of inevitability or moral superiority. De Gaulle’s sharp remark is not only a critique of the U.S., but a broader reminder that power without prudence often leads to folly—and that imagination, when untempered by wisdom, can be dangerously misapplied.
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