Quotes of Winston Churchill

By: Damon Tan (2o207)

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't

change the subject.

A joke is a very serious thing.

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a
chance to get its pants on.

A man does what he must - in spite of personal

consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and
p r e s s u r e s - a n d t h a t i s t h e b a s i s o f a l l h u m a n m o r a l i t y.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an

o p t i m i s t s e e s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y i n e v e r y d i f f i c u l t y.

A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to

h a p p e n t o m o r r o w , n e x t w e e k , n e x t m o n t h , a n d n e x t y e a r.
And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't
happen.

A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails,

and then asks you not to kill him.

All the great things are simple, and many can be

e x p r e s s e d i n a s i n g l e w o r d : f r e e d o m , j u s t i c e , h o n o r, d u t y,
m e r c y, h o p e .

Although personally I am quite content with existing

explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of
improvement.

Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be

postponed.

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will

eat him last.

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

Baldwin thought Europe was a bore, and Chamberlain

thought it was only a greater Birmingham.

B a t t l e s a r e w o n b y s l a u g h t e r a n d m a n e u v e r. T h e g r e a t e r
t h e g e n e r a l , t h e m o r e h e c o n t r i b u t e s i n m a n e u v e r, t h e l e s s
h e d e m a n d s i n s l a u g h t e r.

B e f o r e A l a m e i n w e n e v e r h a d a v i c t o r y. A f t e r A l a m e i n w e
never had a defeat.
Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the
old words best of all.
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the
key to unlocking our potential.

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities...

because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is

also what it takes to sit down and listen.

C r i t i c i s m m a y n o t b e a g r e e a b l e , b u t i t i s n e c e s s a r y. I t
f u l f i l s t h e s a m e f u n c t i o n a s p a i n i n t h e h u m a n b o d y. I t
calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.

Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.

Do not let spacious plans for a new world divert your

energies from saving what is left of the old.

Eating words has never given me indigestion.

Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with

which I will not put.

Everyone has his day and some days last longer than
others.

For good or for ill, air mastery is today the supreme

expression of military power and fleets and armies,
however vital and important, must accept a subordinate
rank.

For my part, I consider that it will be found much better

b y a l l p a r t i e s t o l e a v e t h e p a s t t o h i s t o r y, e s p e c i a l l y a s I
p r o p o s e t o w r i t e t h a t h i s t o r y m y s e l f.

F r o m S t e t t i n i n t h e B a l t i c t o Tr i e s t e i n t h e A d r i a t i c , a n i r o n
curtain has descended across the Continent.

Great and good are seldom the same man.

He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I

admire.
Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can
have.

History is written by the victors.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.

H o w e v e r b e a u t i f u l t h e s t r a t e g y, y o u s h o u l d o c c a s i o n a l l y
look at the results.

I always avoid prophesying beforehand, because it is a

much better policy to prophesy after the event has already
taken place.

I always seem to get inspiration and renewed vitality by

contact with this great novel land of yours which sticks up
out of the Atlantic.

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like

being taught.

I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being

anything else.

I am certainly not one of those who need to be prodded.

In fact, if anything, I am the prod.

I am easily satisfied with the very best.

I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on

us. Pigs treat us as equals.

I am never going to have anything more to do with politics

or politicians. When this war is over I shall confine myself
entirely to writing and painting.

I a m p r e p a r e d t o m e e t m y M a k e r. W h e t h e r m y M a k e r i s
prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another
m a t t e r.

I cannot pretend to be impartial about the colours. I

rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for
the poor browns.

I have been brought up and trained to have the utmost

contempt for people who get drunk.

I have never developed indigestion from eating my words.

I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.

I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken

out of me.
I like a man who grins when he fights.

I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober

a n d y o u w i l l s t i l l b e u g l y.

I never worry about action, but only inaction.

I was only the servant of my country and had I, at any
moment, failed to express her unflinching resolve to fight
a n d c o n q u e r, I s h o u l d a t o n c e h a v e b e e n r i g h t l y c a s t a s i d e .

I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks.

If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable

reference to the devil in the House of Commons.

If the Almighty were to rebuild the world and asked me for

advice, I would have English Channels round every
c o u n t r y. A n d t h e a t m o s p h e r e w o u l d b e s u c h t h a t a n y t h i n g
which attempted to fly would be set on fire.

If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and

i n d e f i n i t e p e r i o d o f m a t e r i a l p r o s p e r i t y, t h e y h a v e o n l y g o t
to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one
a n o t h e r.

If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall

find that we have lost the future.

If you are going through hell, keep going.

If you go on with this nuclear arms race, all you are going
to do is make the rubble bounce.

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be

s u b t l e o r c l e v e r. U s e a p i l e d r i v e r. H i t t h e p o i n t o n c e . T h e n
come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a
tremendous whack.

If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.

If you're going through hell, keep going.

In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must
confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet.

In those days he was wiser than he is now; he used to frequently take my

advice.

In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished scheme has

failed, to take up the best alternative open, and if so, it is folly not to work
for it with all your might.

In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times.

In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a

bodyguard of lies.
India is a geographical term. It is no more a united nation than the
Equator.

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except
all the others that have been tried.

It is a fine thing to be honest, but it is also very important to be right.

It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny
can be handled at a time.

It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can
see.

It is more agreeable to have the power to give than to receive.

It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in
doing what is necessary.

It was the nation and the race dwelling all round the globe that had the
lion's heart. I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.

Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it.

Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.

Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will
pick himself up and continue on.

Meeting Franklin Roosevelt was like opening your first bottle of

champagne; knowing him was like drinking it.

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them

pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had
happened.

Most people stumble over the truth, now and then, but
they usually manage to pick themselves up and go on,
a n y w a y.

M r. A t t l e e i s a v e r y m o d e s t m a n . I n d e e d h e h a s a l o t t o b e
modest about.

My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to

persuade my wife to marry me.
My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite
smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before,
after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals
between them.
My wife and I tried two or three times in the last 40 years
t o h a v e b r e a k f a s t t o g e t h e r, b u t i t w a s s o d i s a g r e e a b l e w e
had to stop.

Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ

grinder is in the room.

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by

so many to so few.

N e v e r, n e v e r, n e v e r g i v e u p .

"No comment" is a splendid expression. I am using it again

and again.

No crime is so great as daring to excel.

No idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered

with a searching but at the same time a steady eye.

No part of the education of a politician is more

indispensable than the fighting of elections.

Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to

imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is
u n p o p u l a r. T h i s i s r e a l l y t h e t e s t o f c i v i l i z a t i o n .

Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without

result.

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the
end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
One does not leave a convivial party before closing time.

One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened

danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you
w i l l d o u b l e t h e d a n g e r. B u t i f y o u m e e t i t p r o m p t l y a n d
w i t h o u t f l i n c h i n g , y o u w i l l r e d u c e t h e d a n g e r b y h a l f.
Never run away from anything. Never!

Perhaps it is better to be irresponsible and right, than to

be responsible and wrong.

Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not

always like being taught.

Play the game for more than you can afford to lose... only
then will you learn the game.

P o l i t i c s a r e v e r y m u c h l i k e w a r. We m a y e v e n h a v e t o u s e
poison gas at times.
P o l i t i c s i s a l m o s t a s e x c i t i n g a s w a r, a n d q u i t e a s
dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in
politics many times.

Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business.

Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen

t o m o r r o w , n e x t w e e k , n e x t m o n t h a n d n e x t y e a r. A n d t o
have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't
happen.

R e a l l y I f e e l l e s s k e e n a b o u t t h e A r m y e v e r y d a y. I t h i n k
t h e C h u r c h w o u l d s u i t m e b e t t e r.

Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

Short words are best and the old words when short are
best of all.

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of

i g n o r a n c e , a n d t h e g o s p e l o f e n v y, i t s i n h e r e n t v i r t u e i s
t h e e q u a l s h a r i n g o f m i s e r y.

Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.

Some people regard private enterprise as a predatory tiger

to be shot. Others look on it as a cow they can milk. Not
enough people see it as a healthy horse, pulling a sturdy
wagon.

S t u d y h i s t o r y, s t u d y h i s t o r y. I n h i s t o r y l i e s a l l t h e s e c r e t s
of statecraft.

Success consists of going from failure to failure without

loss of enthusiasm.

Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of

enthusiam.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage

to continue that counts.

Sure I am of this, that you have only to endure to

c o n q u e r.

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute

c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h t h e a v e r a g e v o t e r.

The British nation is unique in this respect. They are the

only people who like to be told how bad things are, who
like to be told the worst.
The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward

you can see.

The first quality that is needed is audacity.

The great defense against the air menace is to attack the enemy's aircraft
as near as possible to their point of departure.

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the

inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.

The length of this document defends it well against the risk of its being
read.

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the
opportunity in every difficulty.

The power of an air force is terrific when there is nothing to oppose it.

The power of man has grown in every sphere, except over himself.

The price of greatness is responsibility.

The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat, but they
are no less difficult.

The reserve of modern assertions is sometimes pushed to extremes, in

which the fear of being contradicted leads the writer to strip himself of
almost all sense and meaning.

The short words are best, and the old words are the best of all.

The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride
it, but in the end; there it is.

There are a terrible lot of lies going about the world, and the worst of it is
that half of them are true.

There are two things that are more difficult than making an after-dinner
speech: climbing a wall which is leaning toward you and kissing a girl who
is leaning away from you.

There is no such thing as a good tax.

There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.

There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at without result.

These are not dark days: these are great days - the greatest days our
country has ever lived.

This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.
This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.

Those who can win a war well can rarely make a good
peace and those who could make a good peace would never
h a v e w o n t h e w a r.

To b u i l d m a y h a v e t o b e t h e s l o w a n d l a b o r i o u s t a s k o f
y e a r s . To d e s t r o y c a n b e t h e t h o u g h t l e s s a c t o f a s i n g l e
d a y.

To i m p r o v e i s t o c h a n g e ; t o b e p e r f e c t i s t o c h a n g e o f t e n .

To j a w - j a w i s a l w a y s b e t t e r t h a n t o w a r - w a r.

To o o f t e n t h e s t r o n g , s i l e n t m a n i s s i l e n t o n l y b e c a u s e h e
d o e s n o t k n o w w h a t t o s a y, a n d i s r e p u t e d s t r o n g o n l y
because he has remained silent.

Tr u e g e n i u s r e s i d e s i n t h e c a p a c i t y f o r e v a l u a t i o n o f
uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.

V i c t o r y a t a l l c o s t s , v i c t o r y i n s p i t e o f a l l t e r r o r, v i c t o r y
however long and hard the road may be; for without
v i c t o r y, t h e r e i s n o s u r v i v a l .

Wa r i s a g a m e t h a t i s p l a y e d w i t h a s m i l e . I f y o u c a n ' t
smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you
can.

Wa r i s m a i n l y a c a t a l o g u e o f b l u n d e r s .

We a r e a l l w o r m s . B u t I b e l i e v e t h a t I a m a g l o w - w o r m .

We a r e a s k i n g t h e n a t i o n s o f E u r o p e b e t w e e n w h o m r i v e r s
of blood have flowed to forget the feuds of a thousand
years.

We a r e m a s t e r s o f t h e u n s a i d w o r d s , b u t s l a v e s o f t h o s e
we let slip out.

We a r e s t r i p p e d b a r e b y t h e c u r s e o f p l e n t y.

We d o n o t c o v e t a n y t h i n g f r o m a n y n a t i o n e x c e p t t h e i r
respect.

We h a v e a l w a y s f o u n d t h e I r i s h a b i t o d d . T h e y r e f u s e t o
be English.

We m a k e a l i v i n g b y w h a t w e g e t , b u t w e m a k e a l i f e b y
what we give.

We o c c a s i o n a l l y s t u m b l e o v e r t h e t r u t h b u t m o s t o f u s p i c k
ourselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.

We s h a l l d e f e n d o u r i s l a n d , w h a t e v e r t h e c o s t m a y b e , w e
shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing
grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we
s h a l l f i g h t i n t h e h i l l s ; w e s h a l l n e v e r s u r r e n d e r.

We s h a l l d r a w f r o m t h e h e a r t o f s u f f e r i n g i t s e l f t h e m e a n s
of inspiration and survival.

We s h a l l s h o w m e r c y, b u t w e s h a l l n o t a s k f o r i t .

We s h a p e o u r b u i l d i n g s ; t h e r e a f t e r t h e y s h a p e u s .

When I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to

c r i t i c i z e o r a t t a c k t h e g o v e r n m e n t o f m y o w n c o u n t r y. I
make up for lost time when I come home.

When the war of the giants is over the wars of the pygmies
will begin.

When you are winning a war almost everything that

happens can be claimed to be right and wise.

When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.

Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a

shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.

Yo u c a n a l w a y s c o u n t o n A m e r i c a n s t o d o t h e r i g h t t h i n g -
after they've tried everything else.

Yo u h a v e e n e m i e s ? G o o d . T h a t m e a n s y o u ' v e s t o o d u p f o r
something, sometime in your life.