Winston Churchill

"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."

"When the war of the giants is over the wars of the pygmies will begin."

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

"Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on."

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often."

"When you are winning a war almost everything that happens can be claimed to be right and wise."

"A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him."

"We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us."

"Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse."

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

"A state of society where men may not speak their minds cannot long endure."

"Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all."

"Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection."

"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others."

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

"Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have."

"I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught."

"I am easily satisfied with the very best."

"I am never going to have anything more to do with politics or politicians. When this war is over I shall confine myself entirely to writing and painting."

"I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter."

"If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack."

"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law."

"If you're going through hell, keep going."

"In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet."

"In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished scheme has failed, to take up the best alternative open, and if so, it is folly not to work for it with all your might."

"In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times."

"It is a fine game to play - the game of politics - and it is well worth waiting for a good hand before really plunging."

"It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time."

"It is more agreeable to have the power to give than to receive."

"It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary."

"Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it."

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened."

"My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me."

"Never, never, never give up."

"No one can guarantee success in war, but only deserve it."

"No part of the education of a politician is more indispensable than the fighting of elections."

"Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result."

"Politics are very much like war. We may even have to use poison gas at times."

"Politics is almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times."

"Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business."

"Politics is 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."

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."

"Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong."

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

"Sure I am of this, that you have only to endure to conquer."

"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."

"The British nation is unique in this respect. They are the only people who like to be told how bad things are, who like to be told the worst."