We Shall Fight on the Beaches speech (June 1940) Quotes

Context

This line was spoken by Winston Churchill in his June 4th, 1940 speech to the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons.

Back in World War II, around the time of June 4th, 1940, things weren't looking too good for England. The Soviet Union was pressuring England to make peace with Nazi Germany, and the Germans had already started closing in on English and French troops.

So the morale in England was low. But on top of that, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, knew they'd lost a few battles that the public didn't even know about yet. But on that June day, he had to deliver a speech that wouldn't make everyone freak out.

Well, he did a pretty good job. In his speech, otherwise known as the "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech, Churchill gave us this call to arms: "We shall never surrender."

This quote was a war cry. It was meant to inspire the people of England with hope, while also concealing a teensy little bit of reality. Let's be honest: Churchill knew the English were in trouble, but he wasn't one to back down easily.

And as we all know, things turned out okay in the end, as Nazi Germany eventually fell and the English, along with their allies, won the war. Huzzah for crumpets and scones.

Where you've heard it

"We shall never surrender" is one of those battle cries you might hear from a losing sports team. Whether in jest or for realsies, it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary to hear at least something like this.

And of course, there's the movie Galaxy Quest, which uses a very similar catchphrase in its parody of a classic space adventure flick. We're not saying this is a nod to a certain Prime Minister, but it's got a familiar ring to it.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

If you're trying to rally your comrades before some kind of competition, then this isn't the worst thing to shout. It might sound a little bit hackneyed and outdated—but who cares, some people need motivational stuff like this.

But be warned, if you're going with the direct quote and use "shall," then the pretentious scale will rapidly tip to the right. Who says "shall" anymore?