"I am one of those who would rather sink with faith than swim without it."
About Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin — Life and Legacy
Stanley Baldwin, a prominent British statesman, served as Prime Minister three times during the early 20th century, navigating the complexities of a nation grappling with economic and social upheaval. His leadership was marked by a commitment to national unity and a belief in the importance of compromise in governance. Baldwin famously stated, 'The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes,' which reflects his understanding that wisdom can emerge from diverse viewpoints, a principle he applied in his political career. Baldwin's quotes often reveal a pragmatic approach to leadership, emphasizing responsibility and the need for collaboration. He articulated the necessity of unity in his assertion, 'If we are to be a nation, we must be a united nation,' highlighting his conviction that a cohesive society is essential for political stability. His views on democracy were shaped by the belief that effective governance requires listening to all voices, regardless of their origin. Today, Baldwin's insights remain relevant as they resonate with ongoing discussions about leadership, responsibility, and the importance of unity in the face of division. His ability to articulate complex ideas in a relatable manner continues to inspire political discourse, reminding us that effective leadership often involves humility and the willingness to learn from others.
Quote collection
Stanley Baldwin quotes (page 1 of 2)
38 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Dictatorship is like a giant beech-tree - very magnificent to look at in its prime, but nothing grows underneath it."
"I would rather trust a woman's instinct than a man's reason."
"The intelligent are to the intelligentsia what a gentleman is to a gent."
"I think it is well . . . for the man in the street to realise there is no power on earth that can protect him from bombing, whatever people may tell him. The bomber will always get through. The only defence is in offence, which means that you have to kill more women and children more quickly than the enemy if you want to save yourselves."
"Power without responsibility - the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages."
"I would rather be an opportunist and float than go to the bottom with my principles around my neck."
"I wish Stanley Baldwin no ill, but it would have been much better if he had never lived."
"War would end if the dead could return."
"No British Prime Minister of the last seventy years has been more harshly stereotyped than Stanley Baldwin. No one has been so much ignored, after the initial judgements of contemporaries had been made."
"There is no country... where there are not somewhere lovers of freedom who look to this country to carry the torch and keep it burning bright until such time as they may again be able to light their extinguished torches at our flame. We owe it not only to our own people but to the world to preserve our soul for that."
"The world was never more unsafe for democracy then it is today."
"I am a man of peace. I am longing and working and praying for peace, but I will not surrender the safety and security of the British constitution. You placed me in power eighteen months ago by the largest majority accorded to any party for many, many years. Have I done anything to forfeit that confidence? Cannot you trust me to ensure a square deal to secure even justice between man and man?"
"The papers conducted by Lord Rothermere and Lord Beaverbrook are not newspapers in the ordinary acceptance of the term. They are engines of propaganda for the constantly-changing policies, desires, personal wishes, and personal likes and dislikes of two men? What the proprietorship of those papers is aiming at is power, and power without responsibility the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages."
"Had the employers of past generations all of them dealt fairly with their men there would have been no unions."
"Whatever failures may have come to parliamentary government in countries which have not those traditions, and where it is not a natural growth, that is no proof that parliamentary government has failed."
""Magna Carta is the Law: Let the King look out." So it has always been with tyrants among our own people: when the King was tyrant, let him look out. And it has always been the same, and will be the same, whether the tyrant be the Barons, whether the tyrant be the Church, whether he be demagogue or dictator - let them look out."
"I am not struck so much by the diversity of testimony as by the many-sidedness of truth."
"England totally disarmed and an easy prey to hostile forces! Can you think of anything more likely to excite cupidity and hostile intention? We should sink to the level of a fifth rate Power, our Colonies would be stripped from us, our commerce would decline, famine and unemployment would stalk the land... I have yet to learn that the cause of peace can be served by rendering our country impotent."
"When I was a little boy in Worcestershire reading history books I never thought I should have to interfere between a king and his mistress."