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Authors Politician Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

British prime minister · 1874–1965

British statesman who led the United Kingdom through much of the Second World War.

Lifetime
Nov 30, 1874 – Jan 24, 1965 (age 90)
Primary field
Politician
Secondary fields
Writer Historian Journalist Military leader
Tags
Prime ministerNobel Prize in LiteratureSecond World WarConservative Party

Winston Churchill was a British politician, writer and soldier who served as prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. He entered Parliament in 1900 and held numerous senior offices during a political career spanning more than five decades. In May 1940, as Nazi Germany advanced across Europe, Churchill became prime minister and led Britain through most of the Second World War. His speeches and broadcasts became closely associated with Britain’s wartime resistance.

Before and alongside his political career, Churchill served in the army, worked as a war correspondent and published extensively on history and public affairs. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his historical and biographical writing and oratory.

Quotations

“Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”

Winston Churchill · Give us the tools, 1941 · Primary source

“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.”

Winston Churchill · Never give in, never, 1941 · Primary source

“You do your worst—and we will do our best.”

Winston Churchill · You do your worst—and we will do our best, 1941 · Primary source

“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.”

Winston Churchill · The Story of the Malakand Field Force, 1898 · Primary source

“I felt as if I were walking with Destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“By noon it was clear that the Socialists would have a majority. At luncheon my wife said to me, ‘It may well be a blessing in disguise.’ I replied, ‘At the moment it seems quite effectively disguised.’”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

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

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“The maxim Nothing avails but perfection may be spelt shorter: Paralysis.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“I fight for my corner. I leave when the pub closes.”

Winston Churchill · Churchill is Dead at 90; The World Mourns Him; State Funeral Saturday, 1965 · Secondary source

“We shall never surrender.”

Winston Churchill · We shall fight on the beaches, 1940 · Primary source

“Eaten bread is soon forgotten.”

Winston Churchill · The World Crisis, 1923-1931 · Primary source

“To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real.”

Winston Churchill · Painting as a Pastime, 1948 · Primary source

“There is no merit in putting off a war for a year if, when it comes, it is a far worse war or one much harder to win.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“Success is the result of making many mistakes and learning from experience.”

Winston Churchill · You do your worst—and we will do our best, 1941 · Primary source

“You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than live as slaves.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“The first rule of war is to concentrate superior strength for decisive action and to avoid division of force or engaging in detail.”

Winston Churchill · The World Crisis, 1923-1931 · Primary source

“The courage, the unconquerable grit and stamina of our people, showed itself from the very outset. Without that all would have failed. Upon that rock, all stood unshakable.”

Winston Churchill · You do your worst—and we will do our best, 1941 · Primary source

“It was a bitter moment. Defeat is one thing; disgrace is another.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“We may now picture this great Fleet, with its flotillas and cruisers, steaming slowly out of Portland Harbour, squadron by squadron, scores of gigantic castles of steel wending their way across the misty, shining sea, like giants bowed in anxious thought. We may picture them again as darkness fell, eighteen miles of warships running at high speed and in absolute blackness through the Narrow Straits, bearing with them into the broad waters of the North the safeguard of considerable affairs […] The king’s ships were at sea.”

Winston Churchill · The World Crisis, 1923-1931 · Primary source

“But I must drop one word of caution; for, next to cowardice and treachery, overconfidence, leading to neglect or slothfulness, is the worst of martial crimes.”

Winston Churchill · Give us the tools, 1941 · Primary source

“It is better to be making the news than taking it; to be an actor rather than a critic.”

Winston Churchill · The Story of the Malakand Field Force, 1898 · Primary source

“Many remedies are suggested for the avoidance of worry and mental overstrain by persons who, over prolonged periods, have to bear exceptional responsibilities and discharge duties upon a very large scale. Some advise exercise, and others, repose. Some counsel travel, and others, retreat. Some praise solitude, and others, gaiety. No doubt all these may play their part according to the individual temperament. But the element which is constant and common in all of them is Change.”

Winston Churchill · Painting as a Pastime, 1948 · Primary source

“Our first line of defence is the enemy’s port.”

Winston Churchill · The World Crisis, 1923-1931 · Primary source

“Painting is a companion with whom one may hope to walk a great part of life’s journey.”

Winston Churchill · Painting as a Pastime, 1948 · Primary source

“Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day.”

Winston Churchill · Painting as a Pastime, 1948 · Primary source

“There is no merit in putting off a war for a year if, when it comes, it is a far worse war or one much harder to win.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“And wherever men are fighting against barbarism, tyranny, and massacre, for freedom, law, and honour, let them remember that the fame of their deeds, even though they themselves be exterminated, may perhaps be celebrated as long as the world rolls round. Let us then declare that King Arthur and his noble knights, guarding the Sacred Flame of Christianity and the theme of a world order, sustained by valour, physical strength, and good horses and armour, slaughtered innumerable hosts of foul barbarians and set decent folk an example for all time.”

Winston Churchill · A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, 1956-1958 · Primary source

“Go out into the sunlight and be happy with what you see.”

Winston Churchill · Painting as a Pastime, 1948 · Primary source

“I have adhered to my rule of never criticizing any measure of war or policy after the event unless I had before expressed publicly or formally my opinion or warning about it.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“You will never reach your destination if you stop to shy [throw] stones at every dog that barks.”

Winston Churchill · Shy a stone at every dog, 1923 · Primary source

“I am reminded of the professor who in his declining hours was asked by his devoted pupils for his final counsel. He replied, Verify your quotations.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

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

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“I pass with relief from the tossing sea of Cause and Theory to the firm ground of Result and Fact.”

Winston Churchill · The Story of the Malakand Field Force, 1898 · Primary source

“For four hundred years the foreign policy of England has been to oppose the strongest, most aggressive, most dominating Power on the Continent.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“The belief that security can be obtained by throwing a small State to the wolves is a fatal delusion.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“The jury system has come to stand for all we mean by English justice, because so long as a case has to be scrutinised by twelve honest men, defendant and plaintiff alike have a safeguard from arbitrary perversion of the law.”

Winston Churchill · A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, 1956-1958 · Primary source

“Thus ended the great American Civil War, which must upon the whole be considered the noblest and least avoidable of all the great mass-conflicts of which till then there was record.”

Winston Churchill · A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, 1956-1958 · Primary source

“Like other systems in decay, the Roman Empire continued to function for several generations after its vitality was sapped. For nearly a hundred years our Island was one of the scenes of conflict between a dying civilisation and lusty, famishing barbarism.”

Winston Churchill · A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, 1956-1958 · Primary source

“A war postponed may be a war averted.”

Winston Churchill · The World Crisis, 1923-1931 · Primary source

“Without imagination not much can be done.”

Winston Churchill · Never give in, never, 1941 · Primary source

“If you cannot read them [books], at any rate handle them and, as it were, fondle them. Peer into them. Let them fall open where they will. Read on from the first sentence that arrests the eye. Then turn to another. Make a voyage of discovery, taking soundings of uncharted seas. Set them back on their shelves with your own hands. Arrange them on your own plan, so that if you do not know what is in them, you at least know where they are. If they cannot be your friends, let them at any rate be your acquaintances. If they cannot enter the circle of your life, do not deny them at least a nod of recognition.”

Winston Churchill · Painting as a Pastime, 1948 · Primary source

“Many things were adopted in the war which we were told were technically impossible, but patience, perseverance, and, above all, the spur of necessity under war conditions, made men’s brains act with greater vigour, and science responded to the demands.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“When we reflect upon the brutal vices of these salt-water bandits, pirates as shameful as any whom the sea has borne, or recoil from their villainous destruction and cruel deeds, we must also remember the discipline, the fortitude, the comradeship and martial virtues which made them at this period beyond all challenge the most formidable and daring race in the world.”

Winston Churchill · A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, 1956-1958 · Primary source

“The main military purpose and scheme of the Dictators is to produce quick results, to avoid a prolonged war. A prolonged war never suits dictators.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“Rome seemed as powerful and stable as ever. But below the surface the foundations were cracking, and through the fissures new ideas and new institutions were thrusting themselves. The cities are everywhere in decline; trade, industry, and agriculture bend under the weight of taxation. Communications are less safe, and some provinces are infested with marauders, peasants who can no longer earn a living on the land.”

Winston Churchill · A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, 1956-1958 · Primary source

“Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

Winston Churchill · No reliable source

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Winston Churchill · No reliable source

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Winston Churchill · No reliable source

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

Winston Churchill · No reliable source

Selected works

Military history · 1898
The Story of the Malakand Field Force

A first-hand account of the 1897 Malakand campaign, describing British military operations, frontier warfare, and resistance in the north-west of British India.

Historical memoir · 1923-1931 FEATURED WORK
The World Crisis

Churchill’s multi-volume account of the First World War, combining military history, political analysis, personal experience, and strategic argument.

Speech · 1940
We shall fight on the beaches

A wartime address reporting the Dunkirk evacuation while preparing Parliament and the British public for continued resistance against Nazi Germany.

Speech · 1941
Give us the tools

A wartime broadcast reviewing Britain’s military position and appealing to the United States for weapons, equipment, shipping, and material support.

Speech · 1941
You do your worst—and we will do our best

A wartime address praising Britain’s civil defence services while urging continued vigilance, preparedness, and resistance to German bombing.

Speech · 1941
Never give in, never

A wartime address to Harrow School urging perseverance, measured judgement, and resistance to apparently overwhelming force during the Second World War.

Historical memoir · 1948-1953 FEATURED WORK
The Second World War

Churchill’s six-volume account of the Second World War, combining historical narrative, strategic analysis, political reflection, and personal experience.

Essay · 1948 FEATURED WORK
Painting as a Pastime

Churchill’s reflections on amateur painting, describing its techniques, pleasures, challenges, and value as a restorative form of creative activity.

Historical survey · 1956-1958 FEATURED WORK
A History of the English-Speaking Peoples

Churchill’s four-volume survey of British history and the development of English-speaking societies, institutions, conflicts, and political traditions.

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