Winston Churchill (1874–1965,) fully Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, was a British political leader who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom 1940–45 and 1951–55. He is best remembered for his opposition to the pacification of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, for his inspiring leadership during World War II, and his forewarnings about Soviet expansionism.
Born at the Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Churchill entered the army in 1895 and served in India, Egypt, and Sudan. He was a war correspondent during the Boer War before entering Parliament in 1900. He became prime minister in 1940 and allied with the U.S. to defeat the Axis Powers. He was an exceptional orator whose wartime speeches, broadcast over the radio in his deep voice, included many well-known passages.
Churchill was defeated in the 1945 general elections. He used his standing to warn of the dangers of Soviet expansionism in his famous “Iron Curtain” speech delivered at Fulton, Missouri, USA. He also called for European reconciliation and spoke in support of the nascent United Europe movement.
Churchill was elected prime minister for a second term in 1951; he retired from the premiership in 1955 but remained in Parliament until 1964.
Beyond politics, Churchill was a prolific author of history and biography; he was often assisted by secretaries and researchers. His notable works include The Second World War (1948–53) and A History of the English-Speaking Peoples (1956–58.) Churchill was awarded the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature.
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He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Virtue, Virtues, People
The Chinese said of themselves several thousand years ago: China is a sea that salts all the waters that flow into it. Theres another Chinese saying about their country which is much more modernit dates only from the fourth century. This is the saying: The tail of China is large and will not be wagged. I like that one. The British democracy approves the principles of movable party heads and unwaggable national tails. It is due to the working of these important forces that I have the honour to be addressing you at this moment.
—Winston Churchill
When I am abroad, I always make it a rule to never criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come home.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Criticism, Critics, Government
Everything tends towards catastrophe and collapse. I am interested, geared up and happy. Is it not horrible to be made like this?
—Winston Churchill
On the qualities of a Politician: The ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year — and to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.”
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Vision, Politics
All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Mistakes
Civilisation will not last, freedom will not survive, peace will not be kept, unless a very large majority of mankind unite together to defend them and show themselves possessed of a constabulary power before which barbaric and atavistic forces will stand in awe.
—Winston Churchill
Let your advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Become, Worry, Yin, Think, Thinking
I never worry about action, but only about inaction.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Worry, Action
Say what you have to say and first time you come to a sentence with a grammatical ending; sit down.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Speakers
It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read a book of quotations.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Quotations
One woman who managed to corner him, the story runs, said in a treacly gushing voice: Doesn’t it thrill you, Mr. Churchill, to know that every time you make a speech the hall is packed to overflowing? It is quite flattering, Mr. Churchill replied, but whenever I feel this way I always remember that if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big.
—Winston Churchill
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.
—Winston Churchill
The maxim of the British people is “Business as usual.”
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Nationalism, Nation, Nationality, Nations
Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller..
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Golf
In war you can be killed only once. In politics, many times.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Politics
Logic is a poor guide compared with custom.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Logic
Politics are almost as exciting as war and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics—many times.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Politics
We are all worms, but I do believe I am a glowworm.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Individuality, Courage, Believe, Humility
Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you. Give me a pig. He just looks you in the eye and treats you as an equal.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Animals
Too often the strong, silent man is silent only because he does not know what to say, and is reputed strong only because he has remained silent.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Character
The truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Reason, Thought, Truth
It is a fine thing to be honest, but it is also very important to be right.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Honesty
We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Architecture
When I look back on all the worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Worry
Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gongthese are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.
—Winston Churchill
A man is about as big as the things that make him angry.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: One liners, Anger
There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Public opinion
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.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Power
Science burrows its insulted head in the filth of slaughterous inventions
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Weapon
To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Opportunity
No comment is a splendid expression. I am using it again and again.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Communication
Everyone can recognize history when it happens. Everyone can recognize history after is has happened; but only the wise man knows at the moment what is vital and permanent, what is lasting and memorable.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: History
There is no limit to the ingenuity of man if it is properly and igorously applied under conditions of peace and justice.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Justice
Never give up. Never, never give up!. We shall go on to the end.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Perseverance
A joke is a very serious thing.
—Winston Churchill
It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Destiny
If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Laws
Judged by every standard which history has applied to Governments, the Soviet Government of Russia is one of the worst tyrannies that has ever existed in the world. It accords no political rights. It rules by terror. It punishes political opinions. It suppresses free speech. It tolerates no newspapers but its own. It persecutes Christianity with a zeal and a cunning never equalled since the times of the Roman Emperors. It is engaged at this moment in trampling down the peoples of Georgia and executing their leaders by hundreds.
—Winston Churchill
If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.
—Winston Churchill
Topics: Time, Future, The Present, Time Management
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