Many of you may well be familiar with this outstanding biography of Winston Spencer Churchill first published in 2018. Over 982 pages, and splendidly subtitled “Walking with Destiny”, the eminent historian Andrew Roberts manages to cover all aspects of Churchill’s long, extremely full and entertaining life.
There have been numerous books about WSC but as one reviewer puts it: “A work of unequalled scholarship. Read it and you will not have to bother with the other thousand biographies”.
This book, therefore, has been extensively reviewed already and I feel it would be presumptuous of me to try and add anything in that field. However while working my way through the various chapters of WSC’s life, it did strike me that there are a number of key themes which could be distilled and summarised.
So here we go: Lessons from Churchill!
1. Action this day!
These were famously the tags that WSC had printed up and attached to his various memos / order sheets when he finally became Prime Minister in May 1940. Churchill had already demonstrated an ability to get things moving both during his army days and running various ministries, but it was only when he finally became PM that he had his hands on all the levers of power.
WSC had been in politics long enough to be acutely aware of ponderous MPs and the dead hand of the Civil Service (plus ca change). He instinctively knew that he had to galvanise huge numbers of people to give Britain any chance of winning the war and that the best way of doing this was to give clear instructions with very tight timescales. One commentator in the book noted that it was the only time he had seen civil servants actually running in the corridors. Apparently, with dynamic and charismatic leadership organisations are capable of producing extraordinary results. Who knew?
Interesting detail: when Churchill first went to Chequers he was appalled to find that there was only one telephone there…and that was in the kitchen. This lonely device was quickly replaced with a bank of phones and a team of secretaries. Both proved to be invaluable in chasing up actions and getting reports back on the latest news from every front.
Late edit: As I am a perfectionist / easily distracted / incredibly busy occasionally, it takes me several weeks to complete one of these articles. We are now several days into the reign of President Trump and we can clearly see what is possible when someone who believes in the “Action this day” credo gets into office. Why so many political leaders, who theoretically have huge potential to bring about real change and improve the lives of their citizens, actually do nothing or very little is baffling. It’s almost as if they were completely out of their depth or had absolutely no strategic vision of what their country needed…
2. Networking is key!
This should be second nature for the youth of today given all the means of contacting people which are at their disposal. However, in the same way that the younger generation apparently don’t need to learn anything because they can always look it up, I suspect this may be a neglected skill.
At the start of his career, both in the military and politics, Churchill shamelessly used his family connections to help him advance. And why not?
In 1911, along with his politician / lawyer friend F.E. Smith, WSC founded The Other Club which met at the Savoy every other Thursday when the House was sitting. Initially the membership was 12 Liberals, 12 Conservatives and 12 “distinguished outsiders”. The criterion for being invited to join was that they had to be “men with whom it was agreeable to dine”. Several prominent politicians did not pass this test and never became members. I don’t think many of our current MPs would make the cut…
After Smith’s early death in 1930, Churchill became the sole arbiter of membership and he invited people from many walks of life, often with alternative political views.
This networking served WSC well and he was able to draw on a broad pool of talented people whom he knew well as he looked to get the country geared up for full scale war in 1940.
In 1938, having a very realistic idea of what was just around the corner and that our only chance of beating Germany and her allies was to get the USA on our side, Churchill began what was to become a lengthy correspondence with Roosevelt. This laid the groundwork for his frequent wartime trips to the USA.
3. Don’t skimp on lunch and dinner!
Much has been written about Winston and his alcohol consumption. Interestingly, Roberts barely mentions it in this book, seeing it as mainly irrelevant and only saying that there were very few occasions when WSC was obviously more than a few sheets to the wind. The fact that Winston had a very full schedule of meetings and visits throughout the war (and more often than not also worked long into the night after dinner) would appear to confirm this view.
Having said that, apart from the very weak whisky and sodas which were consumed from the time he took his first post -breakfast cigar, it is clear that Winston did have quite a few glasses of decent champagne, wine, port & cognac (delete as applicable) to help him enjoy the main meals of the day. I note, however, that beer is not mentioned once in the pages of this biography.
(WSC is famously quoted as saying “When I was younger I made it a rule never to take strong drink before lunch. It is now my rule never to do so before breakfast.” He was, however, very adept at personal PR and played up to the image that people had of him. The constant presence of a cigar was also part of this.)
From this biography you get the impression that mealtimes were sacrosanct for Winston: even during the darkest of hours, time was set aside to lunch and dine. He rightly saw them as great opportunities to network and influence and he took full advantage of them.
4. Go there in person!
Winston firmly believed in getting on a plane or a boat and seeing first-hand what was actually happening on the ground. This was almost certainly a result of his early life experience fighting in India and Africa where he always liked to lead from the front. Some of his fellow and superior officers from this period thought he took unnecessary risks at times, but Winston seemed to be imbued with a firm sense of his own destiny. He was far too important to be killed in some minor skirmish in a foreign land.
This need to be right in the middle of the action was reinforced by his first world war experiences. Both as a government minister and then later when he commanded a regiment, WSC never shied away from the front line. It is interesting to note that he volunteered for active service in 1916– even though he was 42 at the time.
At the start of the second world war – even after the Germans had invaded France – Churchill flew into Tours (not missing lunch and dinner) on several occasions to try and give the French the resolve to rouse themselves and fight back against the enemy who was marauding across their land. That challenge, however, proved too great even for Winston…..
Churchill always knew that having Roosevelt firmly onside was essential, initially as a source of funds and materiel and then as a fighting partner. There can be little doubt that his numerous trips across the Atlantic to meet the President and his team personally (Winston and Franklin actually spent 113 days together during WW2) played a decisive role in securing these goals.
5. Master the detail!
Throughout his life WSC always had an extraordinary range of hobbies and interests: painting, writing, bricklaying, butterflies and goldfish to name but a few.
This passion for understanding how the world worked also manifested itself in his political life and Winston always tried to make sure he understood more about a given issue than any of his direct reports. He did this by reading widely, but also by surrounding himself with the experts in a given field. During the latter half of the 1930’s for example, despite being in opposition, his extensive military contacts – whom he wined and dined to great effect – meant that he was usually better briefed than any of the government ministers. He also befriended people from well outside his sphere: one such was Professor Lindemann, an eminent physicist with extensive knowledge of weapons development. WSC appreciated Lindemann’s ability to boil down complex issues into Churchill’s “tell me on one sheet of paper”.
6. Have clear goals, communicate and execute effectively!
From the very start of WW2, Churchill was able to see the big picture and recognise what needed to be done. As he said himself: “True genius resides in the capacity for the evaluation of uncertain, hazardous and conflicting information”.
However WSC also understood what needed to be done on a practical level to achieve his goals: “Out of intense complexities intense simplicities emerge”.
He also saw the importance of being able to convey his message both to the House and the general public. From his very first wartime speeches, nobody was left in any doubt as to what was required and Churchill had the knack of being able to translate this into a language that everyone understood.
7. Learn to be a great orator and use your wit!
Churchill always downplayed his school record and while it is true that he did not shine academically, he had a phenomenal memory and recognised very early in his life the power of rhetoric.
In 1897, despite having given only two public speeches, a rather precocious young Winston wrote an article entitled “The Scaffolding of Rhetoric”.
The five elements of this scaffolding according to Roberts were: “Well-chosen words; carefully crafted sentences; accumulation of argument; use of analogy; deployment of extravagances;….” .
As Roberts writes: “Much of what he wrote at this early age was to prove true time and again in his life: ‘Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king. He is an independent force in the world.’ “
Over his long career, WSC gave hundreds of speeches and like all great performers he worked hard to make it appear deceptively simple. One little known fact is that the Churchillian speaking style we tend to think of, based mainly on his set piece WW2 speeches, was only developed when he turned 60. According to Roberts this was “to make it less sonorous and Victorian, to avoid sounding pompous to younger listeners”.
In September 1943 “Churchill entered the House of Commons after six weeks away, to loud cheers. He gave a two hour speech, divided in half by lunch.” It is difficult to imagine a modern politician either speaking for two hours or having the decency to stop for a spot of luncheon.
Today, there is little doubt that the occasions for oratory are rare and standing up in a meeting in Churchillian mode would probably attract attention and derision in equal measure. However Generation Z would certainly benefit from understanding the potential force of language and the power that comes from a well-reasoned argument.
Possibly interesting fact: WSC’s team often went back to “clarify” his great speeches in Hansard. They recognised that his words were initially meant to be heard rather than read, but that it would be better for posterity if they were edited.
Apart from his legendary speeches which would draw most MPs into the house when he was due to speak, (according to Chamberlain even the Opposition “look forward to his speeches as the finest entertainment the House can offer”) WSC was also highly regarded for his wit, often using this to prick his own occasionally bombastic style. This skill of combining great speeches with a certain levity is exceedingly rare in politicians who generally take themselves far too seriously. Reagan was a shining example, now followed by the Donald…..but over here? Occasional glimpses from the Blessed Margaret perhaps?
WSC never missed an opportunity for an apposite “bon mot” or an appropriate pun. He also had a good ear for inventing cod Shakespeare and loved what we would now refer to as ‘banter’.
Roberts tells us about Churchill offering a whisky and soda to a Mormon at Chartwell… “May I have water, Sir Winston? Lions drink it.’ ‘Asses drink it too’ came the reply. Another Mormon present said, ‘Strong drink rageth and stingeth like a serpent’.
‘I have long been looking for a drink like that’ Churchill retorted.
8. Have the stamina and constitution of an ox!
Although this is not really a lesson one can learn – it mainly depends on being in the lucky gene club – there is no doubt that diligent and effective work over a prolonged period does produce exceptional results.
Despite being 65 when he finally became Prime Minister, throughout the war Winston maintained a phenomenal pace of meetings, briefings and trips living up to his “Action this day” motto and ensuring all who came into contact with him did the same.
Even in the latter phases of the war, he was regularly staying up until past 3 a.m. either working or socialising.
Roberts comments: “While it was undoubtedly true that Churchill was now tiring more easily in the fifth year of his war premiership, he was still capable of extraordinary acts of sustained stamina, not least because of his daily hour-long, reinvigorating naps.”
According to Roberts, Churchill never hid his distrust of teetotallers: “As a drinker, smoker and carnivore, outliving teetotallers and vegetarians never failed to give Churchill immense satisfaction”.
This was a man who had been knocked down by a car in his mid 50’s, had suffered a stroke in 1942, had severe pneumonia at least three times and a couple of suspected minor heart attacks during the war. We should also remember that this was a time when very little effective medicine was available. Fortunately for Britain, Winston was a tough man.
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Here endeth the lessons.
If you have not read Roberts’ biography, I urge you to do so, particularly on these long winter nights. This is not a book for spring or summer time light reading, but rather for hivernal contemplation.
Winston Churchill was an immense man, not without his faults, but unique in many ways. We may have wasted the legacy he bequeathed to us, but we should be proud that such a human existed and did so many extraordinary things.
I shall leave the last few words to WSC himself.
In 1945 he recognised something that is just as true today as when he made the comment:
“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries”.
© Jacques Hughes 2025
