Great English Historical Quotations

There is a forgotten, nay almost forbidden word, which means more to me than any other. That word is England.

Winston Churchill 1874-1965

Some people reckoned up all King Harald's (King of Norway) great achievements, and said that nothing would be too difficult for him. But there were others who said that England would be very hard to conquer. It was very populous and the warriors who were known as the (English) king's Housecarls were so valiant, that any one of them was worth two of the best in King Harald's army

Snorri Sturluson 1178-1241 (Norwegian writer on the defeat of the Vikings by the English at Stamford Bridge 1066.)

This England never did, nor never shall,
Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror

William Shakespeare 1564 - 1616 "King John", Act 5 scene

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

William Shakespeare "King Richard II", Act 2 scene 1

We don't bother much about dress and manners in England, because as a nation we don't dress well and we've no manners.

George Bernard Shaw 1856 - 1950 "You Never Can Tell" (1898), act I

Be England what she will, with all her faults she is my country still.

Charles Churchill 1731 – 1764

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

Winston Churchill

Wherever on this planet ideals of personal freedom and dignity apply, there you will find the cultural inheritance of England

Karel Capek

England is the paradise of individuality, eccentricity, heresy, anomalies, hobbies, and humors.

George Santayana 1863-1952 (American Philosopher, Poet)

I have traveled more than any one else, and I have noticed that even the angels speak English with an accent

Mark Twain 1835 – 1910 (American Writer)

Once more unto the breach, dear friends , once more, Or close up the wall up with our English dead.

Shakespeare Henry V Act 3 Scene 3

I thought upon one pair of English legs did march three Frenchmen. (or we are worth 3 of them!)

Shakespeare Henry V Act 3 Scene 6

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