What do you think?
Rate this book
Churchill in "Quotes": Wit and Wisdom from the Great Statesman
Sir Winston Churchill, statesman, orator and former Prime Minister was a man whose erudite words gave hope and inspiration to the British people, and many are as relevant today as they were during the dark days of the Second World War.
Churchill’s speeches were, however, not always confined to serious political rhetoric and motivation: his off-the-cuff quips and comments are legend and displayed a wry wit and humour.
'Churchill in Quotes' is a celebration of this outstanding figure in British history, presented in more than 170 photographs hand picked from the vast archives of the Press Association, many of which have lain unseen since they were first published in the newspapers and magazines of the day.
Churchill’s speeches were, however, not always confined to serious political rhetoric and motivation: his off-the-cuff quips and comments are legend and displayed a wry wit and humour.
'Churchill in Quotes' is a celebration of this outstanding figure in British history, presented in more than 170 photographs hand picked from the vast archives of the Press Association, many of which have lain unseen since they were first published in the newspapers and magazines of the day.
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2011
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 8, 2020
I have been aware of Winston Churchill for most of my life for, even when I was young I could see books by him on my Dad's bookshelves and in 1965 when his funeral cortege sailed down the Thames I was on the embankment. As a consequence I do tend to read the odd volume by and about him and this is one that has some superb Press Association photographs to accompany Churchill's critical, inspirational and sometimes humorous quotes.
Churchill was a master of rhetoric, his speeches, radio broadcasts and writings all bristled and sparkled with uplifting phrases, cutting remarks and wry humour and his off-the-cuff comments were legendary. In this volume all these qualities come to the fore and demonstrate his adroitness with the English language in over 170 quotes on all sorts of issues and people. He spared nobody in his comments, his wife Clementine included!
And it is Clementine who is the subject of the first quote I am to use when he said, 'My wife and I tried two or three times in the last few years to have breakfast together, but it was so disagreeable we had to stop.' On a personal note I often wondered why Linda never took breakfast!! He spoke a truism when he remarked, 'In war it does not matter who is right, but who is left' and he played with words when he remarked, 'There are a terrible lot of lies going around the world, and the worst of it is half of them are true.'
And he always had a word for his political colleagues as this somewhat cutting remark shows, 'If you wanted nothing done at all, Balfour [Arthur Balfour former Prime Minister] was the man for the job.' We've all worked with folk like that! And of Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin he said, 'Occasionally he stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.' Labour politician Stafford Cripps was another who suffered as he commented, 'He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.'
He also had no qualms about telling other countries what he thought as when he went to the Soviet Union and was told that his room could well be bugged, 'This is Winston Churchill speaking. If you have a microphone in my room, it is a waste of time. I do not talk in my sleep.' But when abroad he never spoke ill of his own country, 'When I am abroad I always make it a rule never to criticise or attack the government of my country. I make up for lost time when I get home.'
On a personal note I am always extremely nervous before any after-dinner speech and doubt my ability to do it (once I open my mouth and start I am okay, though) and Winston was obviously no different for he said when beginning a speech at a Press Association lunch, 'There are two things that are more difficult than making an after-dinner speech: climbing a wall which is leaning toward you and kissing a girl who is leaning away from you.' I have never tried either but will bear it in mind the next time I am speaking and I might not feel too bad!
And as a pedant when it comes to English grammar, I particularly liked his 'One must regard the hyphen as a blemish to be avoided whenever possible.' I can't subscribe to this totally but I must confess I never hyphenate a word over two lines, I would rewrite something rather than do that. And on writing generally he commented, 'This Treasury paper, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.' Having written and read many Treasury papers in my time I can wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment and we should always remember the line from Hamlet, 'Brevity is the soul of wit' ... but I suppose Treasury papers are not meant to be funny!
But I must finish with a more lengthy quote that he gave in his last major speech in the House of Commons on 1 March 1955 when he said, 'The day may dawn when fair play, love for one's fellow men, respect for justice and freedom, will enable tormented generations to march forth triumphant from the hideous epoch in which we have to dwell. Meanwhile never flinch, never weary, never despair.' How very apposite in relation to the situation we find ourselves in today.
Being the man he was and having held so many different posts and written so much historical and autobiographical material and being such a talented speaker, Winston Churchill is a man who does justice to a book of quotes and the Ammonite Press have shown that to be true in this delightful volume that is made for re-reading again and again.
Churchill was a master of rhetoric, his speeches, radio broadcasts and writings all bristled and sparkled with uplifting phrases, cutting remarks and wry humour and his off-the-cuff comments were legendary. In this volume all these qualities come to the fore and demonstrate his adroitness with the English language in over 170 quotes on all sorts of issues and people. He spared nobody in his comments, his wife Clementine included!
And it is Clementine who is the subject of the first quote I am to use when he said, 'My wife and I tried two or three times in the last few years to have breakfast together, but it was so disagreeable we had to stop.' On a personal note I often wondered why Linda never took breakfast!! He spoke a truism when he remarked, 'In war it does not matter who is right, but who is left' and he played with words when he remarked, 'There are a terrible lot of lies going around the world, and the worst of it is half of them are true.'
And he always had a word for his political colleagues as this somewhat cutting remark shows, 'If you wanted nothing done at all, Balfour [Arthur Balfour former Prime Minister] was the man for the job.' We've all worked with folk like that! And of Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin he said, 'Occasionally he stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.' Labour politician Stafford Cripps was another who suffered as he commented, 'He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.'
He also had no qualms about telling other countries what he thought as when he went to the Soviet Union and was told that his room could well be bugged, 'This is Winston Churchill speaking. If you have a microphone in my room, it is a waste of time. I do not talk in my sleep.' But when abroad he never spoke ill of his own country, 'When I am abroad I always make it a rule never to criticise or attack the government of my country. I make up for lost time when I get home.'
On a personal note I am always extremely nervous before any after-dinner speech and doubt my ability to do it (once I open my mouth and start I am okay, though) and Winston was obviously no different for he said when beginning a speech at a Press Association lunch, 'There are two things that are more difficult than making an after-dinner speech: climbing a wall which is leaning toward you and kissing a girl who is leaning away from you.' I have never tried either but will bear it in mind the next time I am speaking and I might not feel too bad!
And as a pedant when it comes to English grammar, I particularly liked his 'One must regard the hyphen as a blemish to be avoided whenever possible.' I can't subscribe to this totally but I must confess I never hyphenate a word over two lines, I would rewrite something rather than do that. And on writing generally he commented, 'This Treasury paper, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.' Having written and read many Treasury papers in my time I can wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment and we should always remember the line from Hamlet, 'Brevity is the soul of wit' ... but I suppose Treasury papers are not meant to be funny!
But I must finish with a more lengthy quote that he gave in his last major speech in the House of Commons on 1 March 1955 when he said, 'The day may dawn when fair play, love for one's fellow men, respect for justice and freedom, will enable tormented generations to march forth triumphant from the hideous epoch in which we have to dwell. Meanwhile never flinch, never weary, never despair.' How very apposite in relation to the situation we find ourselves in today.
Being the man he was and having held so many different posts and written so much historical and autobiographical material and being such a talented speaker, Winston Churchill is a man who does justice to a book of quotes and the Ammonite Press have shown that to be true in this delightful volume that is made for re-reading again and again.
Read
July 30, 2025This is a wonderful collection of quotations from perhaps England's greatest orator! The pictures are also, in many cases, fascinating in their historical context.
October 11, 2015
Sounds so weird but for a book of quotes I felt fairly emotional at the end when pictures show his last days and his coffin. An amazing man who left behind a legacy!
January 6, 2018
This little book of quotes inspired me to begin reading other works by Churchill. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews