Winston Churchill
I’ll be honest. I don’t really know much about Winston’s political views or his military career. What inspires me about him is his plethora of quotes.
“Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” This has basically become a mantra for me as I have continued to pursue my goal of becoming a physical therapist at a (to me) painstakingly slow rate. In the seven and a half years since I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, not a single day has gone by that I haven’t thought about my career aspirations.
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” I think this one has been more relevant in the last year, as addressing bigotry in the US has become more prevalent. Knowing when to speak up and having the courage to do so and knowing when to sit down and just listen are both very important skills.
Side Note: For some people, especially neurodivergent individuals with ADHD or autism, sharing a personal experience in response to your story is their way of communicating understanding. Typical replies like “I’m sorry,” “That’s hard,” “I understand,” or “I know how that feels,” can feel very insincere and distant to people who express their sympathy through sharing personal experience.
"Sir Winston Churchill, The Roaring Lion" by cstm-mstc is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” It’s only been in the last few months that I have truly accepted my enemies. I’ve always been easy to get along with but, as an adult, I see injustices in the world and do not feel like I can sit around and do nothing. I know there are people out there who think and speak ill of me but I take immense comfort in knowing that my intentions are good and I constantly strive to improve.
At this point, I’m just going to list several more of my favorites. There are a ton of others that can be found if you Google Winston Churchill Quotes.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
“My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.”
“If you are going through hell, keep going.”
“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm”
“Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
“Never engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man.”
“As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.”
“The truth is heavy, therefore few care to carry it.”
“Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential.”
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
“Better to dare mighty things and fail than to live in a grey twilight where there is neither victory nor defeat.”
“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.”
“You can gauge the righteousness of your cause by the ugliness of the abuse it provokes.”
“I have had to eat my own words many times, and I have found it a very nourishing diet.”
“It would be foolish to disguise the gravity of the hour. It would be still more foolish to lose heart and courage.”
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it's the courage to continue that counts.”
“Keep buggering on.”
What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments!
