Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Quotes

They came on in the same old way, and we sent them back in the same old way.

I have seen their backs before, madam.

I should have given more praise.

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.

Uxbridge: By God, sir, I've lost my leg! Wellington: By God, sir, so you have!

The only thing I am afraid of is fear.

Who will attack first tomorrow? I or Bonaparte?
-Bonaparte.
-Well, Bonaparte has not given me any idea of his projects, and as my plans will depend on his, how can you expect to tell me what mine are?

Depend upon it, Sir, nothing will come of them!

It has been a damned serious business... Blucher and I have lost 30,000 men. It has been a damned nice thing — the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life. … By God! I don't think it would have been done if I had not been there.

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.

Pour la canaille: Faut la mitraille.

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

I don't know what effect these men will have on the enemy, but by God, they terrify me.

During the Peninsula War, I heard a Portuguese general address his troops before a battle with the words, "Remember men, you are Portuguese!"

You must build your House of Parliament on the river: so... that the populace cannot exact their demands by sitting down round you.