Tao Te Ching
Catherine the Great Екатери́на Вели́кая
(Catherine II)
1729 – 1796 CE
Russia’s longest-ruling female leader, “enlightened despot,” author, great patron of the arts, flamboyant and powerful; Catherine the Great helped create and ruled over Russia’s Golden Age revitalizing the institutions, modernizing it’s infrastructure, helping the serfs and emphasizing the arts. She shared more and more power with the nobles, tried to help the peasants, but the rapid expansion of the state relied on taking away much of their freedom and land causing their dissatisfaction and rebellions. She enthusiastically supported the The Enlightenment, helped Russia to become one of Europe’s great powers, greatly expanded colonizations that went as far as Alaska but was accused of many unjust wars. She established the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe and supported French philosophers like Voltaire and Diderot when his Encyclopédie was being oppressed in Europe. More licentious than most of her male counterpoints, history records 22 male lovers, many much younger, one only 22 when she was 61.
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Humanism Politicians Russian Women of Wisdom
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Chinese
Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912 CE)Quotes by Catherine the Great (5 quotes)
“You philosophers are lucky men. You write on paper and paper is patient. Unfortunate Empress that I am, I write on the susceptible skins of living beings.”
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“In politics a capable ruler must be guided by circumstances, conjectures and conjunctions.”
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“If you feel unhappy, place yourself above that and act so that your happiness is not dependent on anything.”
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“I have had to endure much, and have only been able to endure it because I have always laughed whenever I had the chance.”
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“I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.”
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