Winston Churchill Quotes about Leadership

Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party

Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Witty, Party

Winston Churchill (2001). “The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill”, Michael O'Mara Books

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.

Winston Churchill

Motivational, Leadership, Beautiful

The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.

Winston Churchill

Life, Leadership, Motivation

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Moving Forward, Patriotism

Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Pain, Growth

Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Moving, Inspiration

Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.

Winston Churchill

Motivational, Positive, Leadership

Winston Churchill (1952). “War Speeches: From June 25, 1941 to September 6, 1943”

Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself, believe.

Winston Churchill

Inspirational, Leadership, Believe

The price of greatness is responsibility.

Winston Churchill

Inspirational, Success, Leadership

Winston Churchill (2013). “Never Give In!: Winston Churchill's Speeches”, p.292, A&C Black

Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Dictator, Socialism

Letter, 11 Nov. 1937, in Step by Step (1939) p. 186. Cf. the proverb "He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount" (see Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs under rides)

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.

Winston Churchill

Funny, Leadership, Education

Sir Winston Churchill (1966). “Irrepressible Churchill: a treasury of Winston Churchill's wit”

Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room.

Winston Churchill

Inspirational, Funny, Leadership

We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Engineering, Shapes

"The Best-laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future". Book by Randal O'Toole, p. 161, 2007.

I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

Winston Churchill

Funny, Life, Leadership

Speech at the Reform Club, April 28, 1981.

There is no worse mistake in public leadership than to hold out false hope soon to be swept away.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Mistake, False Hope

Winston Churchill (1986). “The Hinge of Fate”, p.54, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

What is adequacy? Adequacy is no standard at all.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Adequacy, Standards

Winston Churchill (1966). “Churchill in His Own Words: Years of Greatness, Memorable Speeches of the Man of the Century”

I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Hair, Planning

It is wonderful what great strides can be made when there is a resolute purpose behind them.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Purpose, Wonderful

Winston Churchill (1950). “Europe Unite: Speeches 1947 and 1948”, London, Cassell

Give us the tools, and we will finish the job

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Jobs, Military

Radio broadcast, 9 Feb. 1941

Nobody ever launched an attack without having misgivings beforehand, You ought to have misgivings before; but when the moment of action is come, the hour of misgivings is passed. It is often not possible to go backward from a course which has been adopted in war. A man must answer "Aye" or "No" to the great questions which are put, and by that decision he must be bound.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, War, Men

Winston Churchill, Robert Rhodes James (1980). “Churchill speaks: Winston S. Churchill in peace and war : collected speeches, 1897-1963”, Atheneum

The nation will find it very hard to look up to the leaders who are keeping their ears to the ground.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Vision, Looks

Winston Churchill (2001). “The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill”, Michael O'Mara Books

Every man should ask himself each day whether he is not too readily accepting negative solutions.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Men, Each Day

Winston Churchill (1959). “The World Crisis”

We must not lose our faculty to dare, particularly in dark days.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Dark, Faculty

Winston Churchill (1986). “The Hinge of Fate”, p.202, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Hasty work and premature decisions may lead to penalties out of all proportion to the issues immediately involved.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Issues, Decision

Winston Churchill (1952). “War Speeches: From September 11, 1943 to August 16, 1945”

It is very easy to say that your opponents have been guilty of a breach of faith, but it is a great mistake to splash the paint about so freely that your words cease to have any real meaning and cease to carry any sense of affront even to those to whom they are applied and cease to bear any connection with any genuine feeling of indignation on the part of those on whose behalf they are spoken.

Winston Churchill

Leadership, Real, Mistake

Winston S. Churchill (2013). “Churchill By Himself”, p.913, RosettaBooks

Winston Churchill Quotes about Leadership

You May Also Like: