Winston Churchill

No crime is so great as daring to excel.

I have never accepted what many people have kindly said-namely that I inspired the nation. Their will was resolute and remorseless, and as it proved, unconquerable. It fell to me to express it.

Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really the test of civilization.

Although personally I am quite content with existing explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of improvement.

When I look back on all the worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.

They are decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.

They teach the morals of a whore, and the manners of a dancing master.

We love and lose in China, we weep on England’s moors, and laugh and moan in Guinea, and thrive on Spanish shores. We seek success in Finland, are born and die in Maine. In minor ways we differ, in major we’re the same.

Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.

Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only.

Turn on the prudent ant thy heedful eyes. Observe her labors, sluggard, and be wise.

Method goes far to prevent trouble in business: for it makes the task easy, hinders confusion, saves abundance of time, and instructs those that have business depending, both what to do and what to hope.

Excellence encourages one about life generally; it shows the spiritual wealth of the world.

Hate has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.

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

Power doesn’t corrupt people; people corrupt power.

Let us consider that we are all partially insane. It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles; it will make clear and simple many things which are involved in haunting and harassing difficulties and obscurities now.

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.