"It is a good
thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations" "Never in the
face of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few." "In Critical
and baffling situations, it is always best to return to first principle and
simple action"
“It
so often happens that, when men are convinced that they have to die, a desire to
bear themselves well and to leave life’s stage with dignity conquers all other
sensations.” "Courage is
rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that
guarantees all others" "There is at
least one thing worse than fighting with allies – And that is to fight without
them" "The
power of an air force is terrific when there is nothing to oppose it." "A
prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not
to kill him." No matter how
enmeshed a commander becomes in the elaboration of his own thoughts, it is
sometimes necessary to take the enemy into account. "The Americans
will always do the right thing... After they've exhausted all the
alternatives." "Arm
yourselves, and be ye men of valor, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it
is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation
and our altar." "I have
nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." Never give in--never,
never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in
except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never
yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. "Never in the
field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." "We shall
defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing
grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and
even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of
it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and
guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good
time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation
and rescue of the Old." "An appeaser
is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." "You ask, what
is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs.
Victory in spite of all terrors. Victory, however long and hard the road may be,
for without victory there is no survival." "To have the
United States at our side was to me the greatest joy. Now at this very moment I
knew the United States was in the war, up to the neck and in to the death. So we
had won after all!...Hitler's fate was sealed. Mussolini's fate was sealed. As
for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder." "Britain and
France had to choose between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor." "Sure I am
this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us
is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance.
As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win,
victory will not be denied us." "We shall not
flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France. We shall
fight on the seas and oceans. We shall fight with growing strength in the air.
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the
beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and
in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender." "Battles are
won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes
in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter." Although prepared
for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed. It's no use saying,
''We are doing our best.'' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary. My most brilliant
achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me. I never worry about
action, but only inaction. We are happier in
many ways when we are old than when we were young. The young sow wild oats. The
old grow sage. No two on earth in
all things can agree. All have some daring singularity. I have taken more
out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me. I have been brought
up and trained to have the utmost contempt for people who get drunk. Always remember, a
cat looks down on man, a dog looks up to man, but a pig will look man right in
the eye and see his equal. We have a lot of
anxieties, and one cancels out another very often. Without tradition,
art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse. 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. To improve is to
change; to be perfect is to change often. 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. It is more
agreeable to have the power to give than to receive. I cannot pretend to
feel impartial about colors. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely
sorry for the poor browns. Socialism is like a
dream. Sooner or later you wake up to reality. Socialists think
profits are a vice; I consider losses the real vice. There is only one
duty, only one safe course, and that is to try to be right. Courage is going
from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. This is no time for
ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure. Nothing is so
exhilarating in life as to be shot at with no result. I am ready to meet
my maker, but whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is
another matter. No folly is more
costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. If you have
knowledge, let others light their candles with it. I was not the lion,
but it fell to me to give the lion's roar. "There
is nothing so pleasing as to be shot at by one’s enemy without result." "Give us the tools, and we will finish the job" "It has not fallen to your lot to command great armies.
You had to create them, organize them and inspire them." "We have a very daring and skillful opponent against us, and, may I say across the havoc of war, a great general."- Churchill about Rommel "For my part, I consider that it will be found much better by all parties to You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory,
because it is better to perish than live as slaves. In War: Resolution In Defeat: Defiance In Victory: Magnanimity
In Peace: Good Will "The power of an air force is terrific when there is
nothing to oppose it." If, however, there is to be a war of nerves let us make sure
our nerves are strong and are fortified by the deepest convictions of our
hearts. Little did we guess that what has been called the century of
the common man would witness as its outstanding feature more common men killing
each other with greater facilities than any other five centuries together in the
history of the world.
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