Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Quotes

British Field Marshal, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1828–1830, 1834 (1769-1852)

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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British soldier and statesman. Rising to prominence during the Peninsular War, he became a national hero in Britain after the Napoleonic Wars during which he led the victorious Anglo-Allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo. He later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two separate occasions.

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Birth Name: Arthur Colley Wellesley

Native Name: Arthur Wellesley, an chéad Diúc Wellington

Also Known As: Nosey

Alternative Names: Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington • The Duke of Wellington • 1st Duke of Wellington • Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington • Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley • 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley • Arthur, Duke of Wellington Wellesley • Arthur Wellesley Wellington 1st Duke of • Iron Duke • 1st duke of Wellington, marquess of Douro, marquess of Wellington, earl of Wellington, Viscount Wellington of Talavera and of Wellington, Baron Douro or Wellesley Arthur Wellesley • Duke of Wellington • Wellington • Great Duke • Arthur Wesley, Duke of Wellington • His Grace the Duker of Wellington

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I believe that if ever we are to come to blows with the Russians in India we must rely upon our sepoys, as we have in all our wars there with European as well as with native powers. These with our superior knowledge of the art of war in that country and our superior equipment, founded upon our knowledge of the resources of the seat of the war, the character of the natives and other circumstances, will give us advantages which will more than counter balance the supposed inferiority of our troops.

Not at all. If I had lost the battle, they would have shot me.

[I don't] care a twopenny damn what [becomes] of the ashes of Napoleon Bonaparte.

There is not a Moslem heart in Asia, from Pekin to Constantinople, which will not vibrate, when reflecting upon the fact that the European ladies, and other females attached to the troops at Cabul, were made over to the tender mercies of the Moslem chief, who had with his own hand murdered the representative of the British Government at the Court of the Sovereign of Afghanistan... It is impossible to impress upon you too strongly the notion of the importance of the restoration of our reputation in the East. Our enemies in France, the United States, and wherever found, are now rejoicing in our disasters and degradation. You will teach them that their triumph is premature.

The French system of conscription brings together a fair sample of all classes; ours is composed of the scum of the earth — the mere scum of the earth. It is only wonderful that we should be able to make so much out of them afterwards.

All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called "guessing what was at the other side of the hill."

Napoleon has humbugged me, by God; he has gained twenty-four hours' march on me.

Hard pounding this, gentlemen; let's see who will pound longest.

The national character of the three kingdoms was strongly marked in my army. I found the English regiments always in the best humour when we were well supplied with beef; the Irish when we were in the wine countries, and the Scotch when the dollars for pay came up. This looks like an epigram, but I assure you it was a fact, and quite perceptible; but we managed to reconcile all their tempers, and I will venture to say that in our later campaigns, and especially when we crossed the Pyrenees, there never was an army in the world in better spirits, better order, or better discipline. We had mended in discipline every campaign, until at last (smiling) I hope we were pretty near perfect.

I believe I forgot to tell you I was made a Duke.

Mistaken for me, is he? That's strange, for no one ever mistakes me for Mr. Jones.

I should have given more praise.

We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be, detested in France.

The revolution is made, that is to say, that power is transferred from one class of society, the gentlemen of England, professing the faith of the Church of England, to another class of society, the shopkeepers, being dissenters from the Church, many of them Socinians, others atheists. I don't think that the influence of property in this country is in the abstract diminished. That is to say, that the gentry have as many followers and influence as many voters at elections as ever they did. But a new democratic influence has been introduced into elections, the copy-holders and free-holders and lease-holders residing in towns which do not themselves return members to Parliament. These are all dissenters from the Church, and are everywhere a formidably active party against the aristocratic influence of the Landed Gentry. But this is not all. There are dissenters in every village in the country; they are the blacksmith, the carpenter, the mason, &c. &c. The new influence established in the towns has drawn these to their party; and it is curious to see to what a degree it is a dissenting interest.

The history of a battle, is not unlike the history of a ball. Some individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great result is the battle won or lost, but no individual can recollect the order in which, or the exact moment at which, they occurred, which makes all the difference as to their value or importance.