February 26, 2025

[On Winston Churchill] Restless, almost intolerably so, without capacity for sustained and unexcited labour, egotistical, bumptious, shallow-minded and reactionary, but with a certain personal magnetism, great pluck and originality, not of intellect but of character.

Beatrice Webb (1858-1943), English socialist, Martin Gilbert, In Search of Churchill (1994), Jay p.381

So she liked him, right? Does every political leader have their good and bad sides? What are yours?

If you have to criticize someone or something, before coming down on the negative side, throw in some positives. It suggests you see things with a broad view—a good thing on the whole. Webb’s is not the most flattering portrait, but it rings true for some reason; perhaps because it is balanced.