By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
Today, June 6, 2025, marks the 81st anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, better known as D-day. At the helm of the operation was General Dwight Eisenhower, and Winston Churchill was prime minister of England. I am old enough to remember his distinct voice, and not just his voice, but everything about him, his walk, his posture, stature, and of course, his ever-present cigar. I also remember when he died, and while I was only 11 years old, I had a sense of loss. At that age, I had no idea what the man had actually done to help defeat Germany in WWII.
It was much later that I discovered how he had tried to warn Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain that it was a mistake to try and appease a man like Adolph Hitler, but no one would listen to Winston. A chagrined Britain then looked to Winston to bring them through the war after Germany attacked, and by God’s grace, bring Britain through, he did. Then a “grateful” Britain kicked him out of office and to the political curb in 1945, and re-elected him in 1950. He was a fierce orator who had such a fear of public speaking that he would get dizzy. He battled depression, calling it his “black dog,” and he drank a lot.
Winston won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature and became a highly accomplished artist, and who can forget his quotes? That “bulldog” voice, stance, gestures, and demeanor gave hope, and that of an industrial strength. He was indeed a force to be reckoned with, and perceptive far beyond his years.
Here are some of Winston’s most famous quotes:
1.”If you are going through hell, keep going.”
2.”Never, never, never give up.” 3. “Time and money are largely interchangeable terms.” 4. “Personally I’m always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.” 5. “Vengeance is the most costly and dissipating of luxuries.” 6. “Harsh laws are at times better than no laws at all.” 7. “Everyone has his day, and some days last longer than others.” 8. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.” 9. “It is not in our power to anticipate our destiny.” 10. “All the greatest things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope.”
11. “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” 12. “My tastes are simple: I am easily satisfied with the best.”
13. “To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to change often.” 14. “All wisdom is not new wisdom.” 15. “Every man should ask himself each day whether he is not too readily accepting negative solutions.” 16. “If you destroy a free market you create a black market.” 17. “The price of greatness is responsibility.” 18. “All I can say is that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.” 19. “I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” 20. “When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber.” 21. “In finance, everything that is agreeable is unsound, and everything that is sound is disagreeable.” 22. “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something in your life.” 23. “The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” 24. “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” 25. “One ought to be just before one is generous.”
Not many people are aware that Winston was a prisoner of war in the Boer War. He also nearly died after getting struck by a car while visiting in New York City before he became prime minister. All of it served to make him an inarguably tenacious leader who was loved, hated, and sorely needed. What if, 81 years ago there had been no Winston?
June 6, 2025
