A fleet of British ships at war are the best negotiators.

Buonaparte has often made his boast that our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea and that his was kept in order and increasing by staying in port; but know he finds, I fancy, if Emperors hear the truth, that his fleet suffers more in a night than ours in one year.

Something must be left to chance; nothing is certain in a sea fight

I owe all my success in life to having been always a quarter of an hour before my time.

Firstly, you must always implicitly obey orders, without attempting to form any opinion of your own respecting their propriety. Secondly, you must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your king; and thirdly, you must hate a Frenchman, as you do the devil.

Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon.

A ship's a fool to fight a fort.