In 1940, as the thunder and lightning of armed conflict erupted across Europe, Winston
Churchill stood at the head of a nation faced with the horrible reality of a calamitous war. “I have nothing to offer,” he told his countrymen, “but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”i
In spite of the arduous road, Churchill was firm in his resolve. “We shall go on to the
end,” he declared. “We shall never surrender.”ii
He urged his people to “so bear [themselves] that, if the British Empire and its
Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’ ”iii
Churchill’s courage and optimism bolstered the confidence of his countrymen. “These
are not dark days,” he told them. “These are great days—the greatest days our country has ever lived.”iv
In our day we sometimes find ourselves overwhelmed by fear, worry, and distress. We
each must face our share of life’s hazards and sorrows. During our own hours of darkness, the unfailing voice of this lion of England can give us the strength to “never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never.”v
Even if our days seem dark, we can make them our greatest days because of how we
choose to face them. In the end, it may be our courage during our own times of crisis and trial that causes others to say of us, “This was their finest hour.”
Program #3976
i “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat,” first speech as prime minister, House of Commons, May 13, 1940, in Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches, sel. Winston S. Churchill (2003), 206.
ii “Wars Are Not Won by Evacuations,” House of Commons, June 4, 1940, in Never Give In! 218.
iii “This Was Their Finest Hour,” House of Commons, June 18, 1940, in Never Give In! 229.
iv “Never Give In!” Harrow School, October 29, 1941, in Never Give In! 308.
v Winston Churchill, “Never Give In!” in Never Give In! 307.