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Winston Churchill was a lot of things—a statesman, a visionary, a writer, a warrior, and an orator.
He served as Britain’s Prime Minister when the Second World War broke out, and his oratory skills held the nation together during that terrifying period in history. His passion also helped rally the Allied Forces to victory.
Churchill’s words inspired action and solidarity. His profound sayings also challenged conventional thinking in British society and the world during his time.
He is also remembered for his wit. His quips and comebacks were both wise and humorous, and have become the stuff of legends.
Today, we feature 75 famous Winston Churchill quotes and sayings that motivate and inspire us even today, many generations later.
We have collected Winston Churchill quotes on success, progress, integrity, courage, and perseverance, as well as one liners and funny quotes.
First, we will take a look at Winston Churchill’s quotes on success and progress. These wise words are still as significant today as they were more than half a century ago.
Winston Churchill Quotes Success and Progress
- “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
- “Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.” – Winston Churchill
- “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”
- “Sometimes doing your best is not good enough. Sometimes you must do what is required.”
- “Personally, I’m always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.”
- “To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.”
To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.” – Winston Churchill
- “Every day you make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”
- “It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.”
- “To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to change often.”
- “Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the hard may be; for without victory there is no survival.”
- “We must beware of needless innovations, especially when guided by logic.”
- “Do not let spacious plans for a new world divert your energies from saving what is left of the old.”
- “The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.”
- “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.”
- “As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will, victory will not be denied us.”
- “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”
- “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”
However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” – Winston Churchill
- “The substitution of the internal combustion engine for the horse marked a very gloomy milestone in the progress of mankind.”
- “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”
Do you have a personal favorite among the quotes above?
Integrity and courage are common themes of Churchill’s speeches and writings. He was successful at rallying an entire nation to have courage during one of the most trying times in history.
We hope the following quotes on integrity and courage inspire you to keep on doing the right thing, even when it is not the most popular course of action.
Furthermore, we hope you have the courage to stand by your beliefs despite any obstacles that get in your way.
Winston Churchill Quotes on Integrity and Courage
- “The price of greatness is responsibility over each of your thoughts.”
- “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, sweat, and tears.”
- “Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference.”
- “There is only one duty, only one safe course, and that is to try to be right and not to fear to do or say what you believe to be right.”
- “You have enemies? Good. It means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
- “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others.”
- “Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.”
- “Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning.”
- “It is a fine thing to be honest, but it is also very important to be right.”
- “No crime is so great as daring to excel.”
- “What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?”
- “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
- “Too often the strong, silent man is silent only because he does not know what to say, and is reputed strong only because he has remained silent. It is only weak who shout.”
- “Always remember however sure you are that you can easily win that there would not be a war if the other man did not think he also had a choice.”
- “We have not journeyed all this way because we are made of sugar candy.”
- “Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.”
- “You make all kinds of mistakes, but as long as you are generous and true and also fierce, you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her.”
- “Great and good are seldom the same man.”
Great and good are seldom the same man.” – Winston Churchill
- “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
- “A lie gets halfway around the world before truth has the chance to get its pants on.”
Have you ever thought of giving up on something because the going is tough?
In Churchill’s time, surrender meant the end of life as they knew it. There was no other choice but to keep fighting for freedom.
We now live in more peaceful times, but the way to our dreams and goals is still full of roadblocks and detours.
May these Winston Churchill quotes on perseverance inspire you to never give up and keep working towards your goals. Who knows—success could be just around the corner.
Winston Churchill Quotes on Perseverance
- “If you are going through hell, keep going.”
- “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.”
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”
- “There is always much to be said for not attempting more than you can do and for making a certainty of what you try. But this principle, like others in life and war, has its exceptions.”
- “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”
- “We shall not fail or falter. We shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job.”
- “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, in great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
- “Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.”
Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” – Winston Churchill
- “It is wonderful what great strides can be made when there is a resolute purpose behind them.”
- “There is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.”
- “The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because we are so often mocked with the failure of our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield, however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honor.”
- “Patience is sorrow’s salve.”
- “I never worry about action, only inaction.”
I never worry about action, only inaction.” – Winston Churchill
- “Keep buggering on.”
- “We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.”
- “Sure I am of this, that you have only to endure to conquer. You have only to persevere to save yourselves, and to save all those who rely upon you. You have only the right to go on, and at the end of the road, be it short or long, victory and honor will be found.”
Winston Churchill is also remembered for the humor in his quips. All of these quotes are a reflection of his sharp wit.
Some of these funny quotes are thought-provoking, while others are shocking when you consider that a statesman said them.
Enjoy these examples of Churchill’s one liners and funny quotes to add to your collection of witty comebacks.
Winston Churchill One Liners and Funny Quotes
- “Don’t interrupt me while I’m interrupting.”
- “Life is fraught with opportunities to keep your mouth shut.”
- “From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.”
- “A joke is a very serious thing.”
A joke is a very serious thing.” – Winston Churchill
- “When you get a thing the way you want it, leave it alone.”
- “History will be kind for I intend to write it.”
- “Broadly speaking short words are best and the old words, when short, are best of all.”
- “Golf: An ineffectual attempt to direct an uncontrollable sphere into an inaccessible hole with instruments ill-adapted to the purpose.”
- “He occasionally stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing happened.”
- “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.”
- “When I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come home.”
- “My most brilliant achievement was my ability to persuade my wife to marry me.”
- “All I can say is that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.”
- “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Winston Churchill
- “I have never developed indigestion from eating my words.”
- “Safari, so goody.”
- “I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”
- “They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.”
- “I only believe in statistics that I doctored myself.”
- “I’m just preparing my impromptu remarks.”
Final Thoughts on Winston Churchill Quotes and Sayings
Winston Churchill was known for his tenacity, even when the odds were stacked against him. His speeches inspired people to reach within themselves and find their courage to face the seemingly insurmountable.
May the quotes in this collection give you that extra push (along with a smile) to never give up when things seem difficult or hopeless.
We’d love to know your thoughts, and if you have a personal favorite among these famous Winston Churchill quotes and sayings. Feel free to share them in the comments below.
Also, if you happen to love any of the images featured above, we’d appreciate a share through your favorite social media.
And if you want more quotes by famous people, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 81 Buddha Quotes on Happiness, Life, Love, Death, and Change
- 55 Dr. Seuss Quotes for the Places You’ll Go
- 31 John Wooden Quotes on Success & Leadership in 2023
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's truly important to you..
