I’ve long been a fan of Sir Winston, chronicling his “Smythson journal” extensively in A Line in the Sand. Most British babies look like him at birth, and do many bulldogs. He was a mediocre but avid painter, clerly not caring for what his art critics thought. But geopolitically he looks even better in the rear view mirror as opposed to today’s “politician/influencer” which we see too often for my tastes. Did anyone reading here know he converted the Royal Navy to Oil in the ‘aughts, and triggered the colonial thirst for oil in the Middle East that continues, unabated, a hundred years on? And aside from my favorite Churchill quote in our book (about and directly to Lady Astor), here are some other favorites;
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“He has been responsible for so many disasters that I think it would be much better if he would retire from public life altogether.” – Clement Attlee, Churchill’s political rival and successor as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
He wasn’t terribly popular after the war. But he went on to correctly identify the “Iron Curtain” that became the linchpin of Western Military containment strategy for …. how long now?
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“Churchill has no peer as a war leader, but he is often drunk and his judgment is bad.” – U.S. General George S. Patton, reflecting on Churchill’s leadership during World War II.
Again, correct. But lovable. He favored a fabulous champagne that we discovered in our research, Pol Roget, and we continue the research to the tune of a few bottles every week. We are historians, after all. And perhaps my favorite;
- “He has a hundred ideas a day, four of which are good.” – Brendan Bracken, a close friend of Churchill’s, commenting on his tendency to generate numerous ideas, not all of which were practical or well-thought-out.
Hey, much like an entrepreneur’s life. Some things just don’t land.. but when they do…