“Not at all. If I had lost the battle, they would have shot me.”

— Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Wellington's retort when he was asked if he felt honored at being feted as a hero by the people of Brussels after returning victorious from Waterloo, according to Sir John Keegan's chapter on Wellington in his book The Mask of Command

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British soldier and statesman 1769–1852

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