Quotes from Winston Churchill

Here is the salient fact which distinguishes the English Revolution from all others: that those who wielded irresistible physical force were throughout convinced that it could give them no security. Nothing is more characteristic of the English people than their instinctive reverence even in rebellion for law and tradition. Deep in the nature of the men who had broken the King's power was the conviction that law in his name was the sole foundation on which they could build.

Men sometimes stumble over the truth, but often pick themselves up and hurry off as though nothing had happened

anger is a waste of energy. Steam which is used to blow off a safety valve would be better used to drive an engine.

The Statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy, but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events. Let us learn our lessons.

What kind of people do they think we are? Is it possible they do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?

Writing a book is an adventure: it begins as an amusement, then it becomes a mistress, then a master, and finally a tyrant.

He looks like a female llama who has just been surprised in her bath.

Quando devi uccidere un uomo non costa nulla essere gentile.

Bizzarro popolo gli italiani. Un giorno 45 milioni di fascisti. Il giorno successivo 45 milioni tra antifascisti e partigiani. Eppure questi 90 milioni di italiani non risultano dai censimenti.

Non complicate le cose, ci saranno già le cose a complicarsi da sole.

Un prigioniero di guerra è un uomo che cerca di ucciderti, non ci riesce, dopo di che ti chiede di non ucciderlo.

Quelli che sono in grado di vincere una guerra possono raramente realizzare una pace conveniente, e quelli che possono realizzare una buona pace non hanno mai vinto una guerra.

You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination.

They said it was only a ground shark; but I was not wholly reassured. It is as bad to be eaten by a ground shark as by any other.

When men are fighting for their lives they are not often disposed to be complimentary to those who are trying to kill them.

when you're going through hell, keep going.

I am certainly not one of those who need to be prodded. In fact, if anything, I am the prod.

Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.

It is one thing to see the forward path and another to be able to take it. But it is better to have an ambitious plan than none at all.

I do not suppose that at any moment of history has the agony of the world been so great or widespread. Tonight the sun goes down on more suffering than ever before in the world.

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

Sir, se lei fosse mio marito, io le avvelenerei il tè. -Madam, se lei fosse mia moglie, io lo berrei. Dialogo tra Lady Astor e Winston Churchill

I only belive in statistics I doctored myself

Una nación que intente prosperar subiendo impuestos es como un hombre con los pies en un cubo tratando de levantarse tirando del asa.