Few figures in modern history loom as large as Sir Winston Churchill. Statesman, writer, soldier, painter, and above all Britain’s wartime leader, Churchill’s influence continues to echo across generations. On the 50th anniversary of his death, London Mayor Boris Johnson—himself raised in a household where Churchill’s words were often quoted—was invited by Churchill’s estate to write a biography. The result was The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History, a book that revisits Churchill’s extraordinary impact with energy, humour, and admiration.
We spoke with Johnson about Churchill’s enduring legacy, his unmatched talent with words, and the memorable quotes—both genuine and apocryphal—that make Churchill such a fascinating character even half a century on.
Why Churchill Still Matters
In The Churchill Factor, Johnson quotes one historian who calls Churchill “the greatest Briton of all time.” When asked why, Johnson emphasised the timing of Churchill’s leadership:
“The sheer scale of his achievement—in particular, being the only man who could possibly have saved Britain and indeed Western civilisation in May 1940 from a catastrophe that would have disgraced humanity.”
At the most perilous moment in modern British history, Churchill’s resolve, speeches, and defiance inspired a nation to fight on when surrender seemed inevitable. Without him, Johnson argues, the outcome of the Second World War might have been unimaginably different.
Growing Up with Churchillian Wisdom
Johnson recalls that his father would often recite Churchill’s most famous lines from wartime speeches, while his mother preferred Churchill anecdotes and jokes. One favourite was the lavatory quip:
When informed that the Lord Privy Seal wished to see him, Churchill—ever the master of timing—called back from behind the door:
“Tell the Lord Privy Seal that I am sealed in the privy—and can only deal with one s**t at a time.”
The humour may be earthy, but it reflects the sharp wit that endeared Churchill to many contemporaries.
Johnson’s Favourite Churchill Quotes
Asked to pick a favourite, Johnson admits the task is impossible. Still, he recounts another celebrated story: a disgraced cabinet minister caught on a park bench at dawn with a guardsman. When told of the scandal, Churchill reportedly replied after a pause:
“Do you mean to say he was caught with a guardsman? On a park bench? At 6 o’clock in the morning? In this weather? By God, man—it makes you proud to be British!”
Whether entirely true or embellished by retelling, such lines illustrate why Churchill remains one of the most quotable figures in modern politics.
The Problem of Churchill Quotes: Fact or Fiction?
Not all Churchillian quips can be verified. Some are borrowed, others adapted, and a few are pure invention. Yet many are undeniably his.
Take the famous exchange with MP Bessie Braddock, who scolded Churchill for being drunk. His response:
“Yes, madam, I am drunk. But you are ugly, and I shall be sober in the morning.”
Scholars note that similar lines appeared in a W.C. Fields film, but Johnson believes Churchill really did deliver the barb in person. Rude or not, it’s a reminder of his unmatched ability to parry with words.
Churchill’s Gift for Rhetoric
What made Churchill’s words so memorable was not just wit, but craft. Johnson points out his love of chiasmus—the rhetorical reversal of word order:
- “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
- “I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”
- “I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.”
Such symmetry, combined with rhythm and gravitas, ensured his speeches would be remembered long after the war ended.
Top 10 Winston Churchill Quotes
To mark his 50th anniversary, here are ten of his most enduring lines—quotes that continue to inspire and amuse today:
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
- “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
- “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
- “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities… because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”
- “I am easily satisfied with the very best.”
- “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”
- “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
- “I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.”
- “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be… we shall never surrender.”
- “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”
These words are part of why Churchill is as much remembered for his language as for his leadership.
Beyond Politics: Churchill the Man
Churchill was not just a war leader. He was also a painter, bricklayer, historian, and bon vivant who loved cigars, champagne, and long dinners. His humour, often irreverent, gave him a human touch that balanced his towering role in history.
Even today, stories of his preferences surface in unexpected places. Johnson once joked on Room 101 alongside Paul Murton, breaking BBC health and safety rules by lighting cigars in the studio—a fitting tribute to Churchill’s lifelong love of smoking.
And as for food? Churchill was famously suspicious of barbecues and American frankfurters, declaring them a poor substitute for a proper meal—a small but telling glimpse of his personality.
Legacy on the 50th Anniversary
Half a century after his death, Winston Churchill remains not just a figure of history, but of legend. His quotes, real or apocryphal, continue to inspire leaders, writers, and everyday people alike. As Johnson’s book suggests, Churchill was more than a politician: he was a one-man force of nature whose words and actions shaped the course of civilisation.
As Johnson concludes:
“Churchill made history because he made people believe that history could still be made.”