Never Give Up-----Winston Churchill
Without Prejudice
In a speech never given, Kurt Vonnegut is supposed to have irreverently said,
" Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97:
" Wear Sunscreen "
In a famous speech given at his old school, Harrow, Winston Churchill is supposed to have said,
"Never Give Up, Never give up, Never give up"
and then sat down.
Here are the facts as they really are.
“Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate.
In a speech never given, Kurt Vonnegut is supposed to have irreverently said,
" Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97:
" Wear Sunscreen "
In a famous speech given at his old school, Harrow, Winston Churchill is supposed to have said,
"Never Give Up, Never give up, Never give up"
and then sat down.
Here are the facts as they really are.
Ever heard about the commencement address that Kurt Vonnegut gave at MIT in which he started out by
saying,
“Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ‘97:
Wear sunscreen”?
saying,
“Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ‘97:
Wear sunscreen”?
Actually, he never gave that speech.
And how about the very very short commencement speech that Winston Churchill gave, in which he said,
“Never give up, never give up, never give up,” and then sat down?
“Never give up, never give up, never give up,” and then sat down?
That never happened either.
How did so many people come to believe that Churchill
and Vonnegut gave speeches that they, in fact, did not.?
and Vonnegut gave speeches that they, in fact, did not.?
Both stories have the virtue of sounding like they could be true, given Churchill’s forceful personality and
Vonnegut’s great irreverance. Because the Internet
allows information — good and bad — to travel so far so fast these days, the audience is massive. And plenty of people just don’t fact check.
Vonnegut’s great irreverance. Because the Internet
allows information — good and bad — to travel so far so fast these days, the audience is massive. And plenty of people just don’t fact check.
Here's what really happened with the Churchill speech: On Oct. 29, 1941, he visited Harrow School, his alma
mater, and made some remarks. Included were these words:
“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently
overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone
a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our
account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition
of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the
history of this country, were gone and finished and
liquidated.
overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone
a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our
account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition
of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the
history of this country, were gone and finished and
liquidated.
“Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate.
But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.
The supposed Vonnegut address was really a column written by Mary Mary Schmich for the Chicago Tribune
about a speech she would have liked to give to a graduating class. Somebody decided to post it on the Internet as a Vonnegut speech at MIT in 1997, and the rest is history.
about a speech she would have liked to give to a graduating class. Somebody decided to post it on the Internet as a Vonnegut speech at MIT in 1997, and the rest is history.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future,
sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty
of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your
worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put
up with people who are reckless with yours.
up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t.
Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t.
Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.
Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t.
Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise.
Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And
when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And
when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
