An Inspiring Message for You, from Winston Churchill’s Finest Speech
A powerful lesson on grit, endurance, and determination
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“...this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
-Winston Churchill
Prime Minister Winston Churchill was a polarizing figure. And quite possibly the only man for what seemed to be the most impossible job as Hitler and his army closed in on Great Britain, countries from France and Poland to Denmark falling all around them. Known for his speeches, Churchill had a special knack for rallying the troops, so to speak, when hope seemed to be all but lost. He managed to do this several times during his tenure, but perhaps none as eloquently as when he made his famous ‘Never Give In’ speech.
Many are familiar with the short, powerful snippet of the famous speech above, but few are aware of another empowering move he made that day; one that I think is appropriate today, that might offer comfort and hope right now when it doesn’t seem like we should have too much left.
HARROW SCHOOL FOR BOYS
On October 29th, 1941, as WWII raged on across Europe, Churchill took a rare day away from his duties as Prime Minister and visited the Harrow School, a highly respected boarding school for boys he attended during his youth. It was there that he intended to make his speech. But an unexpected gift that day caused him to end the pre-written declaration differently.
The students entertained Churchill with several school songs which he also knew and gladly sang along with. Despite conditions surrounding them, they sparked a jovial spirit that day with song and celebration. They even surprised the prime minister with a new verse they added on to one of their anthems, written just for him.
He was thoroughly impressed and delighted at the gesture.
However, during his time addressing the crowd, he gently offered a pre-approved edit, one that is just-so-Churchill. One that is a testament to his height of character and reflects why he is often such a beloved historical figure.
The additional verse had to do with Churchill’s fight for freedom, and the introductory line, “Not less we praise in darker days,” stuck out to him.
Following the severely submissive and problematically diplomatic days of Neville Chamberlain’s time as Prime Minister, one of the many reasons people felt Churchill was the right man for the job at that particular time was due to his intensely fearless nature.
The book The Splendid and The Vile by Erik Larson goes into Churchill’s personality in detail, describing how he’d walk along areas as bombs fell in the distance (or areas that had just been bombed), and how he’d order his driver to speed through red lights if there was an important meeting not to be missed.
This attitude to the majority of citizens bordered on either insanity or genius, depending on how you felt about him.
His suggested edit for the song’s verse ties into this fearlessness. In his speech, he gently suggested changing the word “darker” to “sterner.” He then proceeded to offer his reasoning:
“Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days — the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history…”
NOT LESS WE PRAISE IN STERNER DAYS
Each generation at one time or another feels like they are living through dark days. For instance, right now, amid draconian governmental abuse on a global scale, rampant inflation, senseless violence, and much suffering on an individual level, we feel as if the powers that be must want us in a constant state of darkness.
People spend their lives right now oscillating between the rebellious need to prove them wrong and the nihilistic want to give in because, after all, what are we really going to be able to do about it anyway?
Churchill’s brilliance was that he understood there’s power in dark days. To quote a popular contemporary book, Divergent by Veronica Roth, when two main characters, Four and Tris, are having a conversation about Tris’ ability to focus, fight back, and even thrive during terrifying circumstances, Four says, “Fear doesn’t shut you down. It wakes you up.”
Churchill’s requested change, altering “darker” to “sterner,” reflects this sentiment. He of course had his target audience in mind while constructing his speeches. But the mark of a good leader is the rare ability to wake up even the most shut down people during times of crisis, amid the lowest situation of morale. Churchill had this gift.
Echoing the lessons of balance so many leaders taught before him, including ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle, who constantly talked about his “golden mean,” the prime minister said, “Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done.”
He expanded upon this further:
“...as [Rudyard] Kipling well says, we must "...meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two impostors just the same."”
During what seemed to be an unwinnable battle with hell and the devil himself invading their homeland, Churchill managed to instill just enough calmness in the public. Because of this, Great Britain was able to keep her wits about her, and it paid off.
His speech only lasted a few minutes, but within those few minutes there are timeless lessons and ample inspiration to reflect on.
Have you ever wondered why, of all generations since the beginning of time, you are alive now? You’re here, right now, for a reason. And that reason alone is yours to figure out. It is yours alone to pursue with excellence and determination.
As we live through what seems to be endless night, let us rebel against the darkness. The ultimate rebellion against a world hellbent on destroying humanity is the most beautiful human experience of all, joy. And we can achieve this because as we wade through darkness inflicted by those in high and powerful places, we remember, we have the power to make our own light.
Remember these words from another brilliant thinker:
“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark… Do not let the hero in your soul perish… Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desire can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.”
-Ayn Rand
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Live rebelliously,
-Rebecca-