Make Churchill your muse
Winston Churchill rallied the British, defied the Nazis, and inspired the United States to fight. Some say he saved the Western world with his words.
“Never, never, never give up.”
— Winston Churchill
He was captured by the Boers and escaped. He wrote about his military adventures in newspaper articles and books. By 1899, he was one of the highest paid and best known British war correspondents in the world.
“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.”
— Winston Churchill
In 1900, when Churchill came to the United States for a lecture tour, he was introduced by Mark Twain.
“There are two things that are more difficult than making an after-dinner speech: climbing a wall which is leaning toward you and kissing a girl who is leaning away from you.”
— Winston Churchill
He coined phrases like “Finest Hour,” “Never give in,” and “Iron Curtain.” He showed that words can change people’s minds and move them to act.
“Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory.”
— Winston Churchill
He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his contributions to the written word. In his spare time, he wrote 40 books in 60 volumes and painted more than 500 paintings.
“Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant.”
— Winston Churchill
His words still inspire, 50 years after his death. He’s been quoted by presidents — and on Angelina Jolie.
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
— Winston Churchill
May I ask why every corporate communicator on the planet isn’t using Churchill as her personal and professional muse? Why don’t we model his words every time we write a speech, a sound bite or an executive message?
“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”
— Winston Churchill
Why not start now? Churchill: The Power of Words, an exhibit at the Morgan Library, celebrates this master writer and orator. Can’t make the show? Check out Discover Churchill, a website by the Morgan and the Churchill Archives Centre.
“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”
— Winston Churchill
How can you surprise and delight readers?
Neurologists call it “the pleasure of the text,” the reward readers get from figuring out figurative language. (It can be quite a reward: If your wordplay is funny enough, your readers’ brains even deliver a little dose of dopamine.)
Learn to tap wordplay’s superpowers at Master the Art of Storytelling, our business-storytelling workshop starting May 17.
There, you’ll learn to flip phrases; compress details; sub sound-alikes; list, rhyme and twist — even coin new words with free online tools that do the work for you. You’ll get inspired by some of the world’s most creative headlines. And you’ll polish your skills in a wordplay workout, with recipes from anagram to oxymoron.
Save up to $100 with our group discounts.
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