Speech in West Calder, Scotland (27 November 1879), quoted in W. E. Gladstone, Midlothian Speeches 1879 (Leicester University Press, 1971), p. 116.
1870s
Context: My fourth principle is—that you should avoid needless and entangling engagements. You may boast about them, you may brag about them, you may say you are procuring consideration of the country. You may say that an Englishman may now hold up his head among the nations. But what does all this come to, gentlemen? It comes to this, that you are increasing your engagements without increasing your strength; and if you increase your engagements without increasing strength, you diminish strength, you abolish strength; you really reduce the empire and do not increase it. You render it less capable of performing its duties; you render it an inheritance less precious to hand on to future generations.
“Setbacks there and at home will only increase our strength…”
About Japanese soldiers sent to Kiska. Quoted in "Out on the Causeway" - Time Magazine - May 24, 1943
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Sadao Araki 19
Japanese general 1877–1966Related quotes
Quote reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 364
Inaugural address (1837)
“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.”
“You've given me strength to find home.”
"Two Worlds Collide"
Lyrics, Don't Forget (2008)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/04/iran.khatami/index.html.
Terrorism
“The hidden strength is too deep a secret. But in the end… in the end it is our only ally.”
Source: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Variant: God does not begin by asking our ability, but more of our availability. When we prove our dependability, He will in crease our capability.