H. H. Asquith Quotes

• We are fighting to vindicate the principle that small nationalities are not to be crushed, in defiance of international good faith, by the arbitrary will of a strong and overmastering Power.

  H. H. Asquith

  Strong, War, Fighting

  H. H. Asquith's Address to the House of Commons on the declaration of war with Germany, api.parliament.uk. August 6, 1914.

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• Of all human troubles the most hateful is to feel that you have the capacity of power and yet you have no field to excercise it.

  H. H. Asquith

  Power, Fields, Hateful

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• The War office kept three sets of figures - one to mislead the public, another to mislead the cabinet and the third to mislead itself.

  H. H. Asquith

  War, Office, Three

  In Alistair Horne 'Price of Glory' (1962) ch. 2

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• If I am asked what we are fighting for, I can reply in two sentences. In the first place, to fulfil a solemn international obligation . . . an obligation of honor which no self-respecting man could possibly have repudiated. I say, secondly, we are fighting to vindicate the principle that small nationalities are not to be crushed in defiance of international good faith at the arbitrary will of a strong and overmastering Power.

  H. H. Asquith

  Strong, Fighting, Men

  Statement to House of Commons: Declaration of War with Germany, August 4, 1914.

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• We are within measurable, or imaginable, distance of a real Armageddon. Happily there seems to be no reason why we should be anything more than spectators.

  H. H. Asquith

  War, Distance, Real

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• Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life.

  H. H. Asquith

  Happy Birthday, Funny Birthday, Retirement

  In Observer 15 Apr. 1923

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• Greatness is a zigzag streak of lightning in the brain.

  H. H. Asquith

  Greatness, Brain, Lightning

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• The army will hear nothing of politics from me and in return I expect to hear nothing of politics from the army.

  H. H. Asquith

  Army, Return, Defence

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• When our new armies are ready it seems folly to send them to Flanders, where they will chew barbed wire, or be wasted in futile frontal attacks.

  H. H. Asquith

  War, Army, Wire

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• There is no more striking illustration of the immobility of British institutions than the House of Commons.

  H. H. Asquith

  Illustration, House, Parliament

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• At 50, don't let aging get you down. It's too hard to get back up. Happy 50th birthday.

  H. H. Asquith

  Birthday, Getting Older, Age

  19 Copy quote

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