![]() 1938 January 1, Altoona Tribune, (Untitled filler item), Quote, Column 2, Altoona, Pennsylvania. The exact same 1937 text appeared in “The Altoona Tribune” of Pennsylvania in January 1938. Below are additional selected citations in chronological order. Thus, earlier evidence may be discovered by future researchers. The phrasing is variable which makes the expression difficult to trace. (Newspapers_com)Ī diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a tactful way that you’ll look forward with pleasure to making the trip. Louis Star-Times, (Filler item), Quote, Column 1, St. ![]() Emphasis added to excerpts by QI: 1937 November 27, St. Louis Star-Times” of Missouri in November 1937. The earliest instance located by QI appeared as an anonymous filler item in the “St. ![]() Caskie Stinnett did use this gag in his book “Out of the Red” in 1960, but it was already in circulation. Quote Investigator: QI has found no substantive evidence that Winston Churchill employed this joke. Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.The following similar remarks have been attributed to Winston Churchill: The following witticism has been credited to travel writer and humorist Caskie Stinnett:Ī diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip. As Churchill, who himself intently studied the quotations of others, said: “quotations when engraved upon the memory give you good thoughts.Winston Churchill? Caskie Stinnett? Gary Knafelc? Vince Lombardi? Viola Layne? Earl Wilson? Joe Williams? Anonymous?ĭear Quote Investigator: Diplomacy is a difficult profession that rewards sensitivity and great verbal dexterity. While it’s impossible to include all his worthy gems, below you’ll find a collection of many of his very best to read, ponder, and enjoy. Whether on the topics of war and politics, the necessity of action, the importance of history, or the theme which overarched his entire life and career - resilience - his quotes spur reflection, elicit a chuckle, and strengthen the backbone. And as a thick-skinned individualist, he was unafraid to ruffle feathers and be strikingly direct.įor these reasons, Churchill’s words continue to stir us today. As a man with a thoroughgoing sense of humor, he knew how to leaven the serious with the witty. As a sentimental Romantic, he was able to imbue his words with genuine emotion, conviction, and sincerity. ![]() As a soldier, gardener, pilot, stonemason, traveler, hunter, painter, husband, and father, Churchill had a far more varied range of experiences to draw from than the average politician. He spent an equal amount of effort eliminating any words which weren’t necessary, which lent his writing the pithy, concise style which ultimately produced so many memorable epigrams.īeyond the mechanics of language, it was the intangible qualities Churchill infused it with that created such an enduring effect. He labored over the many drafts of his works, making sure his phrases had just the right punch, just the right cadence and rhythm. Believing that “There is no more important element in the technique of rhetoric than the continual employment of the best possible word,” he would spend hours on this selection process. From an early age, Churchill set out to become a master of the English language, and he continued to refine his craft his entire life through. But it was, of course, not simply the quantity of Churchill’s writing that has made him so frequently cited today, but its incomparable quality. ![]()
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