Winston Churchill? Isabel Vernon? Walter Monckton? John W. Wheeler-Bennett? Katherine Ramsay? Earl of Swinton? Lord Normanbrook? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to legend a prominent political figure was planning to reverse a long-held policy, and a colleague disapproved while warning, “You would be required to eat your own words.” The figure replied, “I have …
Category Archives: Winston Churchill
Always Verify Your Quotations
Winston Churchill? Martin Routh? John Burgon? G. W. Peck? Earl of Rosebery? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: According to a legend of academia, a young student once asked an illustrious professor to impart his greatest piece of wisdom, and the sage replied with one of these statements: (1) Always verify your quotations. (2) Always check your …
People Will Not Say Anymore That the Greeks Fight Like Heroes But Heroes Fight Like Greeks
Winston Churchill? Demetrius Caclamanos? John Rupert Colville? Queen Frederika of Greece? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A family of statements highlights the valor of military forces. Here are two examples: Henceforth we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks Finns don’t fight like heroes; heroes fight like Finns These …
Quote Origin: You Have Enemies? Good. That Means You’ve Stood Up For Something, Sometime In Your Life
Winston Churchill? Victor Hugo? Thomas Jefferson? Jules Sandeau? Charles Mackay? Elminster of Shadowdale? Ed Greenwood? William J. Robinson? Jim Bunning? Eminem? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: If you become prominent and influential then you will inevitably face detractors. If you take tough stances on major issues then you will encounter adversaries. The British statesman Winston …
A Place and Station To Which Our Tradition and Undying Genius Entitle Us
Winston Churchill? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Winston Churchill once spoke about the “undying genius” of his fellow citizens while exhorting them to make a “supreme effort” to maintain a successful country. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: In 1952 Winston Churchill visited his alma mater, the Harrow School in London, …
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“Now That He Is Minister of War I Feel Safe” “Why?” “Well, When He Was Minister of Fuel We Had No Fuel”
Winston Churchill? Alexander Ince? Leonard Lyons? Emanuel Shinwell? John Williams Hughes? Drew Pearson? Eleanor Boardman? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Ensuring the smooth operation of the industry sector that supplies energy to a country is a crucial task. Here is an example of the type of mockery aimed at a politician who botched this important mission: …
Quote Origin: Events, My Dear Boy, Events
Harold Macmillan? Winston Churchill? Adam Raphael? Peter Kellner? Kenneth Fleet? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Public figures around the world have faced major difficulties such as economic crashes, epidemics, and wars. Several decades ago, a powerful British politician experienced a series of setbacks during a period of economic and social upheaval. A journalist asked him …
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I’m Drunk, But I’ll Get Over That Soon. You’re a Fool and You’ll Never Get Over That
John Bent? Navy Sailor? Drunken Fellow? Winston Churchill? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The state of inebriation is temporary, but the state of stupidity is durable. A clever dialog hinges on this fundamental difference: “You are drunk.” “Yes, and you are a fool. But I will be sober in the morning, and you will remain a …
Courage Is Rightly Esteemed the First of Human Qualities Because . . . It Is the Quality Which Guarantees All Others
Winston Churchill? Samuel Johnson? James Boswell? Aristotle? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The rights and freedoms enshrined in political documents are sometimes nullified by oppressive governments. The health of a society depends on the principles and the bravery of the populace. Here is a pertinent adage: Courage is the first of human qualities because it is …
When You’re 60 You Realize No One Was Ever Thinking About You
Winston Churchill? Will Rogers? Jock Falkson? Ann Landers? Ewan McGregor? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: One’s sensitivity to the opinions of others often changes as one matures. The following statement has been attributed to statesman Winston Churchill: When you’re 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you’re 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you’re …
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