My heart knows of no other ambition than that of seeing you happy. - Leopold I of Belgium

He is as uncontrollable and crabby as one can imagine. Not to be understood, because neither his mother nor his father is like that.

I will be more and more concerned with giving you sound and true political ideas, few people are better able to do this than I; since the age of 16 I have been involved in the big affairs of Europe.

Take a serious look at yourself. Ask yourself questions about your mood, the way you view the world and people, think about your mistakes and the dangers they unleash. Today the character of a person determines whether he can exercise influence and authority, far more than all the minds on this earth. As you know, this is all the more true in Belgium, and Belgians want to see in their leader the qualities they will never want from themselves. It is very good that you are involved in trade and industry, you understand well how desirable it would be that the Belgians were given the means to do something outside the homeland.