Mykhailo Rohoza@MykhailoRohoza
When Charles de Gaulle led France, he treated public money as something untouchable.
At the Élysée Palace, there was a strict rule for him: no personal expense could ever be paid for by the state.
His wife, Yvonne, kept a small notebook in which she meticulously recorded all family expenses — from food and electricity to clothing and even soap.
At the end of each month, she would send a check to the state treasury, reimbursing every last cent.
Once, an accountant remarked that this was not really necessary.
She calmly replied:
“Everything that is not public is personal.
And for personal matters, we pay ourselves.”
This principle applied without exception.
Their children and grandchildren were not allowed to use official cars for private matters.
De Gaulle himself refused any privileges of office: he paid his own bills at the palace — even for the smallest things, such as soap or family meals.
Moreover, he did not use his presidential salary, living only on his military pension.
After his death, there was no wealth or luxury left behind — only a modest house in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, purchased before the war.
It is said that he would sometimes personally send money to the treasury if he suspected that any personal expense might have accidentally been covered by the state budget.
This was not a formality.
It was a principle.
✨ An example of true integrity, honor, and responsibility in public service.
