Sir Winston Churchill Quotes, Part of the Story

By Rocky Wilson
Author of Sharene:
Death: A Prerequisite For Life

Sir Winston Churchill Quotes, Part of the Story

Sir Winston Churchill quotes are legendary.

Quotes like:

“A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.”

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

And “The price of greatness is responsibility,” …will stand the test of time.


Yet, being a great orator, statesman, writer, and painter are only some of the attributes of Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965,) the British leader most known for his valiant efforts to protect the free world during the regime of Adolf Hitler.

Although born of royal British blood on his father’s side, Churchill’s mother, Jennie Jerome, a beautiful American with Iroquois Indian blood in her veins, was a strong influence on him until her death in 1921.

Little known facts about Sir Winston Churchill include his capture and subsequent escape from a prison camp in 1899 while a correspondent during the South African War; his first lecture tour of America that earned him enough money to join the non-paid British Parliament in 1901; the fact he was a pilot; and two major failures in his political career that would have ruined the careers of most.

But not this man, who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1953 for The History of the Second World War.

Important events in Churchill’s life include:

* 1895-1898 War correspondent for wars in Cuba, India, and Sudan

* 1908 Married, later one son and four daughters

* 1910 Early proponent of health & unemployment insurance, minimum wage, limited working hours

* 1911 Head of Royal Navy

* 1915 Loses Royal Navy post due to unsuccessful naval campaign at Straight of Dardanelles

* 1924 Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, decision to return country to gold standard proves disastrous

* 1933-1939 Vocal opponent of Hitler, Bolsheviks

* 1940 Prime Minister, minister of defense

* 1945 After war’s end loses power with Labor Party takeover

* 1951-1955 Prime Minister, minister of defense

* 1953 Nobel Prize in literature, Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

* 1964 Resigns from Parliament

One historian said Churchill’s philosophy on life was: “All life is a struggle, the chances of survival favor the fittest, chance is a great element in the game, the game is to be played with courage, and every moment is to be enjoyed to the full.”

Yet, Churchill’s biggest contribution to mankind had to have come from 1940 until 1945, during World War II, when he rallied a nation that first stood alone, then worked with the U.S. and Russia to thwart the oppression he so despised.

He once said, “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”

Sir Winston Churchill quotes will stand the test of time, but so, too, will the courage and genius of who he was.