“Impossible is not French.”
— Deborah Harkness · 1965 –Source: no specific work is documented · Check the source
Disputed attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The wording appears as a traditional French proverb and is used in Deborah Harkness's The Book of Life, spoken by the character Ysabeau.
- What remains uncertain
- The common link to Napoleon is traditional and later; no decisive contemporary source confirms he coined this exact phrasing.
Understanding the quote
The line captures a defiant habit of mind: treat the word ‘impossible’ as unacceptable. Deborah Harkness uses it in The Book of Life to shape a character’s voice, but the phrase itself is a traditional proverb long linked—without firm proof—to Napoleon.
In the original · French
« Impossible n’est pas français. »
The story behind it
Though widely credited to Napoleon, scholars treat it as an attributed saying; Harkness was reusing that established proverb rather than inventing it.
Going further
- The era
- In the Napoleonic and 19th-century French tradition, such maxims became patriotic slogans of perseverance.
- The thinking
- Practical takeaway: refuse defeatist language and focus on trying different means until a solution appears.
- Key word
- Refusal of impossibility: treating ‘impossible’ as a challenge, not an endpoint.
- Who quoted it
- It turns up across popular motivational media, language sites, and collections of French proverbs.
Three challenges to live it
In the app, you pick the one that fits your day, and in the evening you say how it went.
Plan today one action you thought impossible: write the first three concrete steps you will take toward it this week.
Breaking 'impossible' into small, concrete steps makes the goal actionable and weakens the power of the label.
Do today a physical move you've avoided because you feared failing: a 10-minute progressive try, noting what changes.
The body can outpace the mind's 'impossible' label; a short, progressive attempt reveals real capacity and reduces fear.
Write today a short scene (150–250 words) where the word 'impossible' is rejected and the protagonist invents a bold solution.
Fiction lets you rehearse overcoming limits; imagining a bold fix trains creative problem-solving and weakens the 'impossible' verdict.
How often does the word ‘impossible’ stop you from trying?
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