Marie Antoinette Quotes To Teach You About The Young Queen Of France

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France’s last Queen, Marie Antoinette definitely left her mark on history. This young royal was notorious for her words “let them eat cake.” But, chances are she didn’t even say those words at all. Thankfully, there are plenty of other Marie Antoinette quotes that tell us a little more about this young Austrian queen.

Did you know: Marie Antoinette became Queen at only 14 years old? Yup – Marie Antoinette was an Austrian princess, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and the Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa. This mighty family needed to maintain a strong relationship with France. So, Marie Antoinette’s marriage to King Louis XVI was crucial for the Hapsburg Empire to be well-aligned with the French.

Marie Antoinette | History | Smithsonian Magazine

Not much longer after Antoinette became Queen, the French Revolution began. France’s absolute monarchy and economic policies led to incredible civil unrest. Sadly, it became à la mode to blame France’s issues on Marie Antoinette – the young, lavish Queen who really held no political responsibility at all.

As one could imagine, two teenagers trying to rule a nation and manage a revolution was a recipe for disaster. The revolution ensued, with Louis XVI and Antoinette escaping to Austria. That choice only turned matters worse – the campaign branded Antoinette as a traitor to the French people.

All of these events led to Antoinette’s execution at just 37 years old. This young woman may have a notorious reputation in history, but she did have some fascinating things to say, that had nothing to do with cake at all.

marie antoinette quotes

Here are Marie Antoinette Quotes to Help you Learn a Little More about this Young Queen!

  1. “I am terrified of being bored.”
  2. “No, do not love me, it is better to give me death!”
  3. “There is nothing new except what has been forgotten.”
  4. “But how will I eat cake if my head is over there, and my hands are over here?”
  5. “It is an amazing feature in the French character that they will let themselves be led away so easily by bad counsels and yet return again so quickly. It is certain that as these people have, out of their misery, treated us so well, we are the more bound to work for their happiness.”
  6. “When everyone else is losing their heads, it is important to keep yours.”
  7. “I wasn’t raised; I was built.”
  8. “It would be doing me great injustice to think that I have any feeling of indifference to my country; I have more reason than anyone to feel, every day of my life, the value of the blood which flows in my veins, and it is only from prudence that at times I abstain from showing how proud I am of it.”
  9. “I have seen all, I have heard all, I have forgotten all.”
  10. “My dear mamma is quite right when she says that we must lay down principles and not depart from them. The king will not have the same weaknesses as his grandfather. I hope that he will have no favorites; but I am afraid that he is too mild and too easy. You may depend upon it that I will not draw the king into any great expenses.”You Can Now See Some of Marie Antoinette's Most Cherished (and Tiny)  Possessions | Vogue
  11. “Letting everyone down would be my greatest unhappiness.”
  12. “I should be very sorry if the Germans disapproved of me.”
  13. “We made our entrance into Paris. As for honors, we received all that we could possibly imagine; but they, though very well in their way, were not what touched me most. What was really affecting was the tenderness and earnestness of the poor people, who, in spite of the taxes with which they are overwhelmed, were transported with joy at seeing us.”
  14. “Tribulation first makes one realize what one is.”
  15. “Courage! I have shown it for years; think you, shall I lose it at the moment when my sufferings are to end?”
  16. “The king is full of kindnesses toward me, and I love him tenderly. But it is pitiable to see his weakness for Madame du Barri, who is the silliest and most impertinent creature that it is possible to conceive.”
  17.  “No one understands my ills, nor the terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart of a mother.”Marie Antoinette quotes
  18. “I have begun the ‘History of England’ by Mr. Hume. It seems to me very interesting, though it is necessary to recollect that it is a Protestant who has written it.”
  19. “It is true I am rather taken up with dress; but as to feathers, everyone wears them, and it would seem extraordinary if I did not.”

Know someone who loves Marie Antoinette and perhaps French history? Don’t be shy to share these Marie Antoinette quotes with them – they might learn a thing or two about the last queen of France!

marie antoinette and children

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