In the course of my life I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet.
Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman and author
Comment (c. 1940s)
(Source)
Quoted by Lord Normanbrook in John Wheeler-Bennett, ed., Action This Day: Working with Churchill, p. 28 (1968).
Frequently paraphrased as:
- "Eating my words has never given me indigestion."
- "I have never developed indigestion from eating my words."
Quotations about:
retraction
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them.
Adlai Stevenson (1900–1965) American diplomat, statesman
Speech (1952-09-05), “Time for a Change –?” Colorado Volunteers for Stevenson Dinner, Denver, Colorado
(Source)
Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love truth.
[Ceux qui ne se rétractent jamais s’aiment phis que la vérité.]
Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 11 “De la Vérité, de l’Illusion et de l’Erreur [Of Truth, Illusion, and Error],” ¶ 57 (1850 ed.) [tr. Attwell (1896), ¶ 161]
(Source)
(Source (French)). Alternate translations:They who never retract, love themselves more than truth.
[tr. Calvert (1866), ch. 10]Those who never retract love themselves better than truth.
[tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 10, ¶ 29]Men who never take back their words love themselves more than truth.
[tr. Collins (1928), ch. 10]Those who never back down love themselves more than they love the truth.
[tr. Auster (1983)], 1806]
