# l'état, c'est moi

> English word · Phrase

## Definitions
1. Used to signify one's exercise of power in a dictatiorial, repressive and/or charismatic manner.

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/l-etat-c-est-moi