Running Press - The Quotable Winston Churchill: A Collection of Wit and Wisdom

THE QUOTABLE

RUNNING PRESS

PHILADELPHIA LONDON

A Running Press Miniature Edition

2013 by Running Press

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.

The proprietary trade dress, including the size and format, of this Running Press Miniature Edition is the property of Running Press. It may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of Running Press.

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012954809

ISBN 978-0-7624-5329-0

Running Press Book Publishers

A Member of the Perseus Books Group

2300 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371

Visit us on the web!

www.runningpress.com

S ir Winston Churchills words defined the political land-scape of an eraand forever changed the course of human history. The eloquence and passion of his wartime speeches galvanised the British nation in its heroic stand against the Nazi aggression that had brought the Continent to its knees, and rallied people from all corners of the earth to join in the fight for freedom. After the conflicts end, he was the first to fully comprehend the new dynamics of the Cold War worldhe coined the term Iron Curtain, dedicated himself to trans-Atlantic cooperation, and called for a United States of Europe.

During his long public career, Churchill served six monarchs, fought in battles on four continents, and served 62 years in Parliament, holding Cabinet offices such as Undersecretary of State for the Colonies, Home Secretary, and First Lord of the Admiralty, in addition to his two terms as Prime Minister. Further, Churchill wrote 42 volumes of history, memoir, essays, and collected works, a myriad of journalistic articles, and countless speeches, for which he never employed a speechwriter. For his service to the crown and to the world, he was named a Knight of the Garter; for his service to the world of letters, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

To merely list Churchills tremendous achievements, however, would not fully illuminate the breadth of his experiences and interests. As well as soldier, statesman, and orator, he was a talented painter, a successful sportsman, and a unionised stonemason. He was not only a great writer, but moreover a great wit: In my behalf, he once said, you cannot deal with the most serious things in the world unless you can understand the most amusing. For this reason, the editors have included an ample array of Sir Winstons wisdom, ridiculous and sublime, in the pages that follow, so that all may enjoy the heart, humour, and humanity of the man who changed the world.

I n 2002 the BBC conducted a poll among the people of the United Kingdom, asking them to name the greatest individuals in British history for the series 100 Greatest Britons. Winston Churchill ranked first. In roles as a soldier, statesman, Nobel Prize-winning author, artist, and political leader during the darkest days of the twentieth century, Churchills words and actions shaped the course of history and inspired not only British subjects but people all over the world.

He made his greatest mark on the world as Britains prime minister, but Churchills ancestors were from both sides of the Atlantic. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, married American socialite Jennie Jerome and they had their first son, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, on November 30, 1874. For the rest of his life one of Winstons greatest inspirations to achieve and make a difference in the world was to honor the memory of his father, who died when Winston was only twenty-one.

Young Winston was educated at schools including St. Georges and the Harrow. He had a rather restless spirit and did not complete his studies with the stellar academic record one might expect. Three attempts at the entrance exam gained Churchill entrance to Sandhurst, the prestigious Royal Military Academy, in 1893. After graduation Churchill became a Second Lieutenant in the Queens Hussars. Early in his days as a soldier Churchill took up work as a war correspondent, reporting on battles for London newspapers, where the public first took notice of Churchills writing.

As a soldier Churchill saw active service in lands as far-flung as India, Cuba, Cairo, and South Africa. He distinguished himself among officers and earned numerous honors and medals.

Churchill gained a seat in Parliament as a member of the Conservative Party in 1900. He held a multitude of positions and titles over the years and switched from conservative to radical liberal and back again, all the while earning the respect and admiration of fellow politicians and British subjects for his crusades to better his nation. As Home Secretary Churchill supported liberal reforms and was instrumental in establishing the British welfare state. After becoming First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911 he concentrated his efforts on improving Royal Navy combat operations. In the midst of this activity, Churchill continued service in the military and managed a home life including marriage to Clementine Hozier, whom he had met at a dinner party in 1904. Their marriage in 1908 was followed by the birth of their five children, spread throughout the next fourteen years.

Early into the First World War, Churchills reputation took a hit after a failed campaign in the Dardenelles. He resigned from his post and again joined the British forces in battle as a commander in the Grenadier Guards and later the Royal Scots Fusiliers. Churchill returned to politics in 1917 as Minister of Munitions and later Secretary of State for War, for Air, and for the Colonies. His notable actions during this time include creating the Anglo-Irish Treaty giving Ireland independence, establishing the boundaries of the modern Middle East, intervention in the Bolshevik Revolution, and demobilizing British troops at the conclusion of World War I.

In 1924 Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin appointed Churchill Chancellor of the Exchequer. During his tenure in this position he oversaw a return to the pre-war exchange rate and the Gold Standard, which led to a severe economic crisis and rampant unemployment. Churchill lost his seat when the Conservatives fell out of power in the general election of 1929. He also clashed with Prime Minister Baldwin on the subject of independence for India and did not hold office under Baldwin. These were Churchills wilderness years, the nadir of his political career. Though out of power, Churchill continued to spread his world views, thoughts, and ideas through speeches, articles, and books.

During Churchills period in the wilderness, Fascist leadership spread across Europe led by German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Churchill spoke out against policies of appeasement toward dictatorships. As Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, Churchill became First Lord of the Admiralty under Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. After Chamberlain resigned, King George VI asked Churchill to become the Empires Prime Minister.