“Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. 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 (Primary source)
Churchill’s six-volume memoir and history of World War II, chronicling his leadership as Britain’s wartime Prime Minister. Combining personal experience with strategic analysis, it covers major battles, diplomatic negotiations, and key decisions that shaped Allied victory. The work earned Churchill the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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“You do your worst—and we will do our best.”
— Winston Churchill 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 Primary source“Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”
— Winston Churchill Primary source“I fight for my corner. I leave when the pub closes.”
— Winston Churchill Secondary sourceMore quotes by Winston Churchill →
“Creditors have better memories than debtors.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“No gains without pains.”
— Benjamin Franklin 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 Primary source“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson DisputedWar Fight Freedom Hope Enslavement Death