“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
Churchill reflecting on the need to fact-check his own speeches, as he considered whether he was the first to use the phrase unconditional surrender as a war aim.
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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“Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”
— Winston Churchill Primary source“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 sourceBy 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.”
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“Take counsel in wine, but resolve afterwards in water.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“I will not be triumphed over.”
— Cleopatra Disputed“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
— Winston Churchill Disputed“You may be too cunning for one, but not for all.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source