Winston Churchill

Nothing is more costly, nothing is more sterile, than vengeance.

It may be that we shall, by a process of sublime irony, have reached a stage in this story where safety will be the sturdy child of terror, and survival the twin brother of annihilation.

Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party.

The nose of the bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go.

Everyone has his day and some days last longer than others.

Danger – if you meet it promptly and without flinching – you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!

Depend upon it that if a man talks of his misfortunes there is something in them that is not disagreeable to him.

No matter how often you are defeated, you are born to victory.

Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other.

The perception of beauty is a moral test.

I believe in things that are developed through hard work. I always like people who have developed long and hard, especially through introspection and a lot of dedication. I think what they arrive at is usually a much deeper and more beautiful thing than the person who seems to have that ability and fluidity from the beginning. I say this because it’s a good message to give to young talents who feel as I used to.

All history is a record of the power of minorities, and of minorities of one.

Every thought which genius and piety throw into the world alters the world.

To watch this crystal globe just sent from heaven to associate with me. While these clouds and this somber drizzling weather shut all in, we two draw nearer and know one another. The gathering in of the clouds with the last rush and dying breath of the wind, and then the regular dripping of twigs and leaves the country over, the impression of inward comfort and Sociableness, the drenched stubble and trees that drop beads on you as you pass, their dim outline seen through the rain on all sides drooping in sympathy with yourself. These are my undisputed territory. This is Nature’s English comfort.

One ought never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!

He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend; provided, of course, he really is dead.

Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.

I had rather see the portrait of a dog that I know, than all the allegorical paintings they can show me in the world.

Man is a shrewd inventor, and is ever taking the hint of a new machine from his own structure, adapting some secret of his own anatomy in iron, wood, and leather, to some required function in the work of the world.

Virtue is insufficient temptation.

Most people think that aging is irreversible and we know that there are mechanisms even in the human machinery that allow for the reversal of aging, through correction of diet, through anti-oxidants, through removal of toxins from the body, through exercise, through yoga and breathing techniques, and through meditation.