Meanings
alternative l'etat, c'est moi · alternative l'état c'est moi
- Used to signify one's exercise of power in a dictatiorial, repressive and/or charismatic manner.
'Marcos and the First Lady wanted more than anything else [...] to be king and queen. They wished to shape the kingdom in their own image; [...] Marcos wanted to be able to say, 'L'état c'est moi.'
1986 January 16, Ian Buruma, “Who Can Redeem Mother Filipinas?”, in The New York Review of Books1 more example
But what’s even worse is the way Sean Spicer, Mr. Trump’s spokesman, framed the issue: Nordstrom’s business decision was a “direct attack” on the president’s policies. L’état, c’est moi.
2017 February 10, Paul Krugman, “Opinion | When the Fire Comes”, in New York Times
Origin
- Frenchl'état, c'est moi“I am the state”
- Englishl'état, c'est moi
Borrowed from French l'état, c'est moi (“I am the state”), which apocryphally attributed to Louis XIV per an anecdote representing the tyranny of France before the French Revolution.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
l'état, c'est moi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/l'%C3%A9tat%2C%20c'est%20moi
“l'état, c'est moi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/l'%C3%A9tat%2C%20c'est%20moi. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “l'état, c'est moi,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/l'%C3%A9tat%2C%20c'est%20moi.
Source: l'état, c'est moi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.