“Personally I’m always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.”
Winston Churchill said that. I don’t know much about him, really. As a man. His personal life, and such. I only know of his pivotal place in history.
He certainly is well known. Some historians say that Churchill is one of the greatest, statesmen of the 20th century. He completely dedicated himself to public service. He really did. Even though he was born into a life of privilege. And we are talking privvvvaaahhhllllleeeeggge. He descended from the First Duke of Marlborough. That’s the cigarette cowboy, right? A Winston and a Marlboro walk into a bar….
Anyway.
He was an orator. He was a soldier. He was a big defender of democracy –, especially during World War II. He was also a supporter of social reform.
But you know, for a lot of different people, Churchill was a hero.
Of course, I am most familiar with his part in World War II. He predicted that a victory would come hard. That it would be a really rough road. He said the war would take years. He was right. France fell to the Nazis in June of 1940. I don’t think many of them thought it was really coming. And then. In July, Germany started bombing the crap out of Great Britain. And they kept it up for three months solid.
Truthfully, some of the photos of bombed out England are unbelievable. Even though the future didn’t look so great, Churchill was like a cheerleader. He tried everything to keep British spirits high. He gave really “rousing” speeches on the radio. He often spoke in Parliament. He was all over the place.
But, probably, most notably, he persuaded Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide war supplies. Lots of them. The U.S. gave England ammunition, guns, tanks, and planes, to all of the Allies. It was all Churchill’s idea. It was a program known as Lend-Lease. And this was all before we, the Americans, even entered the war.
And all of this? It just goes to show you that “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.” Even though Churchill was one of the chief architects of the Allied victory, the Brit voters turned against him. Yes, those war-weary British voters. Just two months after Germany’s surrender in 1945, they booted out the Conservatives and their prime minister from office. Just like that.
He didn’t let up though. He started warning them about the dangers of Soviet expansionism. Like a Bulldog, he was. That was his nickname, and for good reason.
I didn’t mean to write all of this about him, but I saw his quote this morning. I was going to write about learning. So, if you took even one thing away from this, I guess my intention was met.
As I said, I don’t know much about him on a personal level. Like, if he owned a cat, or if he liked strawberry ice cream, or dressing up like a woman. None of that. But I know in history he made a mark on the world. A big one.
I also know we all make our marks on the world. They may not be as historically significant as Churchill’s. But the marks we make on the world are every bit as important. To someone.
===========
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. — Winston Churchill
===============
If you’re going through hell, keep going. — Winston Churchill
=================
Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room. — Winston Churchill
==============