A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen. – Winston Churchill
No idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered with a searching but at the same time a steady eye. – Winston Churchill
A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him. – Winston Churchill
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. – Winston Churchill
The British nation is unique in this respect. They are the only people who like to be told how bad things are, who like to be told the worst. – Winston Churchill
Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential. – Winston Churchill
For good or for ill, air mastery is today the supreme expression of military power and fleets and armies, however vital and important, must accept a subordinate rank. – Winston Churchill
The reserve of modern assertions is sometimes pushed to extremes, in which the fear of being contradicted leads the writer to strip himself of almost all sense and meaning. – Winston Churchill
Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. – Winston Churchill
If the Almighty were to rebuild the world and asked me for advice, I would have English Channels round every country. And the atmosphere would be such that anything which attempted to fly would be set on fire. – Winston Churchill
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. – Winston Churchill
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – Winston Churchill
It was the nation and the race dwelling all round the globe that had the lion’s heart. I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar. – Winston Churchill
In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet. – Winston Churchill
We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. – Winston Churchill
It is a fine game to play – the game of politics – and it is well worth waiting for a good hand before really plunging. – Winston Churchill
Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really the test of civilization. – Winston Churchill
I was only the servant of my country and had I, at any moment, failed to express her unflinching resolve to fight and conquer, I should at once have been rightly cast aside. – Winston Churchill
There are a terrible lot of lies going about the world, and the worst of it is that half of them are true. – Winston Churchill
It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary. – Winston Churchill
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly. – Winston Churchill
Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter. – Winston Churchill