A Statesman and Orator

Who is your favorite historical figure

There is a historical figure who inspired me through my first forty years of life like no other and that person was Sir Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill was born on November 30, 1874, in Oxfordshire, England and died on January 24, 1965, in London. Churchill was a statesman, orator, and author who was the Conservative British Prime Minister from 1940–45, and 1951–55. He valiantly rallied the British people during World War II and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory.

Churchill was very self-assured, and believing in himself as he did, he had the ability to make the British people believe in themselves too. This was a crucial historical act that even today can be cited by cynics as proof that individuals can and do make a difference.

As an orator, Churchill was unmatched in his ability to rally the British people and his famous speeches were instrumental in spurring them on to persevere. He famously said “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Here are some more of my favourite quotes…

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

“We shall never surrender.”

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”

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

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

“The price of greatness is responsibility.”

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

My own rallying cry for my life before Christ was inspired by Churchill’s famous line “When you’re going through hell, keep going.”

These quotes and speeches have impacted generations in the past and continue to do so.

Churchill was granted a Statesman’s funeral and was one of just three British political leaders to be granted the honour. With officials from more than 112 countries attending,  3,500 people attended his funeral service, and at the time it was the largest gathering of dignitaries in history up until the 1980’s.  

In tough times I used to rely on his words to encourage me in the battle of life. Now I rely on Christ’s words but Churchill remains my second favourite go-to inspiration.