"I am the State!"
On April 13 1655,
Louis XIV showed up at the
French parliament to respond to
allegations questioning the
legality of
decrees he
signed concerning the
French-Spanish war. When the
President of the Parliament spoke of the
interests of the
State, Louis XIV is reported to have said:
L'État, c'est moi!
Napoléon Bonaparte was very fond of that slogan as well...