Churchill Personified "Never Give Up"

Visiting with someone yesterday, the subject came up about never giving up and I remembered the following story. I’m not sure if it’s exactly true, but there’s a Churchill story that goes something like this:

Two or three years after WWII, Winston Churchill was invited to Woodrow Wilson’s alma mater to give the graduation commencement speech. Of course the press, students, faculty, and citizens alike were awed with anticipation of the famous man and his upcoming rhetoric. The speculation about what he would say was beyond measure.

As Churchill slowly walked out on to the stage, the crowd got deathly quiet. Except for the final rustling of paper, the only thing you could hear was the reporters’ deep breaths and whispered prayers as they prepared to take their notes.

He slowly took that big cigar from his lips,

laid it on the podium,

walked around to the side,

leaned forward,

and said –

"Never, never, never (long silence) GIVE UP!"

With that, he backed up, put the cigar back in his mouth and slowly walked off the stage.

Whether this story is entirely true or not, Churchill's life personified never giving up. He was a master at searching matters out, knowing the cards he held in his hand, and how to play those cards. While he was constantly trying to prove his strengths, he wasn't a "wishful" leader.
 
Churchill was an In-the-Box Leader.