Who said “From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.”?

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Napoleon Bonaparte. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceSpeech to his troops in Egypt (21 July 1798) Variant translation: "Soldiers, from the summit of yonder pyramids forty centuries look down upon you...". Published in the autobiography of French general Eugène de Beauharnais.

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“From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte
VerifiedSpeech to his troops in Egypt (21 July 1798) Variant translation: "Soldiers, from the summit of yonder pyramids forty centuries look down upon you...". Published in the autobiography of French general Eugène de Beauharnais. · evidenceHistory and Historians
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For academic work, cite the original where you can: Speech to his troops in Egypt (21 July 1798) Variant translation: "Soldiers, from the summit of yonder pyramids forty centuries look down upon you...". Published in the autobiography of French general Eugène de Beauharnais..

APA

Bonaparte, N. (n.d.). From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/21619-from-the-heights-of-these-pyramids-forty-centuries/

MLA

Bonaparte, Napoleon. “From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/21619-from-the-heights-of-these-pyramids-forty-centuries/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Bonaparte, Napoleon. “From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/21619-from-the-heights-of-these-pyramids-forty-centuries/.

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