The 90 best phrases (and reflections) of Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, known to history as Winston Churchill, was a noted British politician, soldier and statesman with a marked passion for writing and painting, but perhaps it is best remembered for his role as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. His military journey did not have a promising beginning, but he decided to prove his worth and move on, which led him to prominence in British politics and build his legend.
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Best Winston Churchill Quotes and Phrases
To learn more about his professional and personal career, we have brought a compilation with the best phrases and reflections of Sir Winston Churchill.
1. Sometimes, when fortune frowns most spitefully, she prepares her most dazzling gifts.
A way to remind us that the worst moments prepare us to take success with our hands.
2. Never in the history of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few.
Speaking about the eternal gratitude to the soldiers and combatants of the wars.
3. Now that powerful populations are launched against each other […] a European war would only end with the ruin of the vanquished and with the exhaustion and commercial collapse, almost as fatal as that of the vanquished, of the victor.
In short, wars never bring profit, they always bring misfortune for all sides.
4. Politics is almost as exciting as war and almost as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times.
That is why Churchill was such a warrior in politics.
5. The price of greatness is responsibility.
You cannot be at the top and want to do what you want without paying the consequences.
6. Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.
It is almost impossible to get to the top without tripping several times to know which is the best path.
7. In war, resolution; in defeat, challenge; in victory, magnanimity; in peace, good will.
The different ways in which we should face situations.
8. Some men change parties for the sake of their principles; others change their principles for the good of their parties.
What is the price for each person?
9. An appeaser is someone who feeds the crocodile, hoping it will eat someone else before it does.
A handy metaphor for the way leaders act.
10. An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity, a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.
The clear difference in acting between optimists and pessimists.
11. I am optimistic. It does not seem very useful to be anything else.
A man who knew how to find the way out in any difficulty.
12. Attitudes are more important than aptitudes.
You can have great natural talent, but if you don't work on it, it will never emerge.
13. Building can be the slow and laborious task of years. Destroying can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
It is always easier to tear something down than to build it.
14. You will never reach your destination if you stop to throw rocks at any barking dog.
When we give more importance than necessary to problems, that is when they consume us.
15. Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential.
Great things are built with small constant steps that do not tire us of moving forward.
16. Criticism may not be pleasant, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body: to warn of unhealthy things.
Criticism helps us understand the things we need to change.
17. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
It is a personal tool that leads us to break down any type of wall that comes our way.
18. One should never turn one's back on threatening danger and try to escape from it. If you do that, you will double the fear. But if you face it immediately and without hesitation, you will cut the fear in half.
An excellent message to face our fears.
19. I never worry about action, only about inaction.
A man who was known for not sitting idly by in the face of a problem.
20. It is not enough that we give our best, sometimes we have to do what it takes.
Not always being 'good' takes us where we should go. There are times when we need to be aggressive.
21. Never give up, never give in, never, never, never, in anything big or small, never give in except for the convictions of honor and good sense.
The only surrender that counts is when a fight is lost and it's only affecting us.
22. It is not a time for convenience and comfort. It is the moment of daring and resistance.
Staying in the comfort zone brings dissatisfaction in the future.
23. If we start an argument between the past and the present, we will discover that we have lost the future.
Holding on to what could have happened or changing something that has already happened, makes us lose the valuable time we have now.
24. A fanatic is someone who can't change their mind and doesn't want to change the subject.
A closed-minded person who is unable to look beyond his feet.
25. Whoever speaks ill of me behind my back contemplates my ass.
A funny phrase that encourages us to stop caring what others think of us.
26. Imagination consoles men for what they cannot be. Humor consoles them of what they are.
There are own attitudes that are used as masks so that others do not observe us.
27. To err is human, to persevere in mistakes is diabolical.
It is never justifiable that you fall over and over again in the same mistake, because that means that you do not want to learn the lesson.
28. I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like to be taught.
It is difficult to accept that we do not know something, but learning from those who know the most is always beneficial.
29. Lonely trees, if they grow, they grow strong.
Because they have the time to improve their relationship with themselves.
30. No one can guarantee success in war, only being worthy of it.
War is an indecisive scenario.
31. The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they want to be just, they are no longer strong.
A strange irony that has haunted the destiny of various nations.
32. I like pigs. The dogs look at us with admiration. The cats look at us with contempt. The pigs treat us as equals.
A strange justification for his love of pigs.
33. Magnificent success is always accompanied by an enormous risk of failure.
Every objective has behind it an incalculable risk.
34. Writing a book is an adventure. At first, it is a toy and a fun. Then he becomes a lover, then your master, then a tyrant.
About his personal experience writing a book.
35. The truth is indisputable. Malice may attack it, ignorance may ridicule it, but in the end, there it is.
The truth always comes to light, no matter if it is sooner or later, because it is absolute.
36. We are the owners of the words that we do not say, but slaves of those that we do say.
That is why we have to be very careful with what we say and when we say it.
37. A war never solves any problem. It does nothing but raise new ones.
It seems that conflicts between nations will always exist.
38. There is a forgotten, almost forbidden word that means more to me than any other. That word is England.
Demonstrating his fervent loyalty and love towards his nation.
39. We are the masters of our destiny. We are the captains of our souls.
Don't let anyone else but you run your life.
40. The greatest lesson in life is knowing that even fools are right sometimes.
Everyone has something interesting to contribute at some point.
41. A man does what he must, despite the personal consequences, despite the obstacles, dangers and pressures, and that is the basis of human morality.
Our values must resonate louder than anything else.
42. When I am abroad, I make it a rule never to criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I get home.
An amusing commentary on everything that has to live within British politics.
43. The love of tradition has never weakened a nation. Indeed, it has strengthened nations in their time of peril.
Affirming the need to maintain conservationism to some extent in a nation.
44. Live hard, fear nothing and triumph will smile upon you.
Wise advice that will lead us towards the future we seek to achieve.
45. Study history. In history are all the secrets of the art of government.
As the saying goes, 'who does not know his history is doomed to repeat it'.
46. Kites rise higher against the wind, not with it.
It is by daring to do new things that we can exploit our potential.
47. When I was young, I made it my rule never to have a drink before eating. Now, my rule is not to do it before breakfast.
Talking about your problem or love towards drinking.
48. Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.
And every decision to move forward is a sign of that courage.
49. A society where men cannot say what they think cannot last long.
No tax society remains in history as an example to follow.
50. Where there is a great deal of freedom of speech there is always a certain amount of stupid opinion.
Everyone has an opinion, it can be both good and bad.
51. War is an invention of the human mind; and the human mind can also invent peace.
So we need to stimulate more peaceful thoughts than conflictive ones.
52. It is a good thing to be honest, but it is also very important to be right.
We must never sin by knowing everything, but it is necessary to defend our opinions.
53. Healthy citizens are the best resource a country can have.
When we have physical and mental health we are happier and therefore more productive.
54. The further back you can look, the further ahead you will see.
The past should be a resource to analyze, not a cave to live in.
55. Difficulties mastered are opportunities gained.
Although we complain about going through a difficult situation, when it ends, we come out stronger.
56. I do not accept that a great wrong has been done to the Redskins of America, or to the blacks of Australia, by the fact that a stronger race, a race of higher rank, has come and occupied its place.
A phrase that shows the racist side of Churchill before the races of the countries conquered by the United Kingdom.
57. We make a living by what we get, but we make a living by what we give.
It is our actions that define us.
58. A lie goes halfway around the world before the truth puts on its pants.
The lie will always go faster than the truth, but it also dies very quickly.
59. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, but also to sit down and listen.
We must not only learn to defend our voice, but learn to listen.
60. The story will be good to me, because I intend to write it.
Affirming the saying that, 'the victors are the ones who write history'.
61. There is a terrible amount of lies about the world, and the worst thing is that half of them are true.
Many lies have a basis of truth that should not be overlooked.
62. I'm certainly not one to need to be pushed. In fact, if anything I'm the one pushing.
Showing confidence in their own abilities.
63. My wife and I have tried to have breakfast together for the last 40 years, but it was so unpleasant that we had to stop.
Not all moments as a couple are idyllic.
64. If you're not liberal at 25, you don't have a heart. If you're not conservative at 35, you don't have a brain.
We change our way of thinking as we grow.
65. Jaw against jaw is always better than war against war.
Promoting conflict resolution through dialogue.
66. A man is only as great as the things that make him angry.
The best way to know a person's attitudes is to see what things he loses patience with.
67. Democracy is the need to bend from time to time to the opinions of others.
Reflections on democracy.
68. The politician must be able to predict what will happen tomorrow, next month and next year; and to explain later why it was that what he predicted did not happen.
One of the strengths for which Churchill was known was predicting the actions of dangerous dictators at the time.
69. A good conversation should exhaust the subject, not the interlocutors.
Part of a good conversation is knowing how to listen and dialogue with respect.
70. It is no use defending governments or parties unless you defend the worst for which they are attacked.
No political party is perfect or completely ideal.
71. For small mistakes great people are lost.
Never underestimate the damage that a misunderstanding or a lie can do to the trust of others.
72. Never give in to force; never yield to the seemingly overwhelming might of the enemy.
It's easy to be tempted to give up, but that will only keep us down with no way to try again.
73. I have nothing more to offer than blood, toil, tears and sweat.
One of his most famous phrases that shows everything he was willing to do for his nation.
74. When there are no enemies inside, enemies outside can't hurt you.
The first enemy to defeat is our cruel voice inside our heads.
75. Never run from anything. Never!
Running away only takes us away from that future we pursue.
76. Success is not the end, failure is not ruin: the courage to continue is what counts.
Success is not a certain place or time, but living doing what we love.
77. It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look beyond what you can.
It is also harmful to cling to an impossible dream, just as it is not to fight for what we want.
78. Diplomacy is the art of sending people to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.
An elegant way to get rid of your enemies.
79. The problem of our time is that men do not want to be useful but important.
They want fame without really working for it.
80. My most brilliant achievement was my ability to convince my wife to marry me.
A romance that lasted until the end of their days.
81. I have often had to eat my words and found that they were a balanced diet.
It's never wrong to admit our mistakes and embrace a new idea.
82. To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
To improve we have to change, we cannot grow staying in the same place.
83. There are three types of people: those who worry themselves to death, those who work themselves to death, and those who are bored to death.
An interesting proposal about the different types of people that exist according to the former Prime Minister.
84. Character is manifested in the big moments, but it is built in the small ones.
Self-security is worked from within.
85. Do you have enemies? Well, that means that you have stood up for something with conviction, at some point in your life.
Sometimes having envious people around us is synonymous with the fact that we are on the right path.
86. If Hitler invaded hell, I would make a speech in the House of Commons with favorable references to the devil.
Showing his disdain towards Hitler.
87. My tastes are simple. I am satisfied with the best things.
Always looking for things that make it grow.
88. It is useless to say “We are doing the best we can”. You have to do whatever it takes to be successful.
There are things that have to be achieved or left behind.
89. If you go through hell, keep going.
For Churchill, no obstacle was worth giving up.
90. Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the doctrine of envy.
A strong criticism of the doctrines of socialism.
