Wise Words from Winston

Winston Churchill is one of most delightfully quotable people. Today, I reference Churchill's speech to England after a Blitz during WWII:

I realize the audio is a bit difficult, but he says "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."

The entire speech can be read here.

Yesterday's post was about my frustrations running Mary's Historical Programs and trying to make a living. I often turn to history when I'm feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. Life is never as bad as it was and one's problems can always be worse than they are.

I'm not an optimistic person in any way, shape, or form, but I am a reformed pessimist. In other words, when I try something, I tend to go in assuming I'm going to fail, but with the intent to keep trying until I succeed. I call myself a realist. Regardless how you might categorize yourself, it's important to keep in mind that every great accomplishment came after a string of failures. It's much better to try and fail repeatedly than to succeed on your first attempt, that's the luck of  "one-hit-wonders!" 

Here are some other great inspirational quotes from historic figures:

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."--Thomas Edison

"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just"--Abraham Lincoln

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." --Theodore Roosevelt

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."--Henry Ford

Okay, this one has nothing to do with history, but it's always helped me:

What helps you to "Keep Moving Forward?"