I Shall Be An Autocrat Thats

This sardonic remark is attributed to Catherine the Great in various biographical accounts, reflecting her frank acknowledgment of the absolute power she held as Empress of Russia. Catherine seized the throne in a coup in 1762, deposing her husband Peter III, and ruled without the checks that constrained monarchs in constitutional states. The wit of the saying lies in its candor: she distinguishes her own political realities from divine judgment, implying that effective rule sometimes requires ruthlessness that a more scrupulous ruler could not afford.