1st Duke of Wellington (1769 – 1852)
Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman.
Pour la canaille: Faut la mitraille.
I believe I forgot to tell you I was made a Duke.
Circumstances over which I have no control.
You must build your House of Parliament on the river: so... that the populace cannot exact their demands by sitting down round you.
Variants: If a man be born in a stable, that does not make him a horse.
It has been a damned serious business... Blucher and I have lost 30,000 men. It has been a damned nice thing — the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life. ... By God! I don't think it would have been done if I had not been there.
I am not only not prepared to bring forward any measure of this nature, but I will at once declare that, as far as I am concerned, as long as I hold any station in the Government of the country, I shall always feel it my duty to resist such measures when proposed by others.
My rule always was to do the business of the day in the day.
Because a man is born in a stable that does not make him a horse.
Just to show you how little reliance can be placed even on what are supposed the best accounts of a battle, I mention that there are some circumstances mentioned in General —'s account which did not occur as he relates them. It is impossible to say when each important occurrence took place, or in what order.
Napoleon has humbugged me, by God; he has gained twenty-four hours' march on me.
During the Peninsula War, I heard a Portuguese general address his troops before a battle with the words, "Remember men, you are Portuguese!"
They wanted this iron fist to command them.
My heart is broken by the terrible loss I have sustained in my old friends and companions and my poor soldiers. Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won.
I should have given more praise.
We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be, detested in France.
The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.
Depend upon it, Sir, nothing will come of them!
All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called "guessing what was at the other side of the hill."
Hard pounding this, gentlemen; let's see who will pound longest.