One evening at Chequers the film was Oliver Twist. Rufus, as usual, had the best seat in the house, on his master's lap. At the point when Bill Sikes was about to drown his dog to put the police off his track, Churchill covered Rufus's eyes with his hand. He said, "Don't look now, dear. I'll tell you about it afterwards."

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

I only believe in statistics that I doctored myself

Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.

Writing is an adventure.

He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.

No one can understand history without continually relating the long periods which are constantly mentioned to the experiences of our own short lives.