According to biographers, Winston Churchill did not have the happiest of childhoods. Neglected by his uninterested parents, he was sent to boarding school at a young age where he would write letter after letter pleading for his parents to come visit him. Most of his letters went unanswered, and he ended up spending a succession of holidays alone at school without even the company of classmates.
Churchill would go on to suffer many failures both at school and in his political life, failures that would have defeated most people. But Churchill kept sticking his neck out, overcoming great odds and eventually leading his country in its finest hour.
How did a man with such a difficult upbringing and spotty professional record achieve such greatness? The answer may lie in the following story: In his 80s, Churchill was asked to deliver a commencement address at Harrow, the boarding school he attended as a boy. He is reported to have stood up at the podium, glared over his glasses, and delivered one of the shortest, yet most inspiring speeches ever given at a graduation ceremony.
“Never, never, never give up!” he roared. Then he sat down to thunderous applause.
