A man of courage, born in Oxfordshire, England on this day, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874–1965) led Great Britain through the Second World War and became a master orator, strategist, and symbol of unshaken resolve.

“I am easily satisfied with the best,” he said.

His life became a metaphor for excellence. Churchill overcame a serious childhood/a> stutter to become one of his century’s greatest speakers. He was also a noted writer, awarded the 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature, and his words continue to inspire millions.

“I may not be the lion,” Churchill proclaimed, “but it was left to me to give the lion’s roar.” President John Kennedy described how Churchill “mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.”

As Prime Minister in 1940, Churchill led with imagination and boldness. “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat,” he declared in his gravelly voice to the House of Commons, holding the country together against Hitler’s “monster of wickedness.”

“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 honor and good sense,” Churchill urged, a tribute to determination and the human spirit.

Whether clenching his signature cigar between his teeth or raising his hand in a “V for Victory,” Churchill inspired his people to withstand air raids and military defeats, to carry on through their finest hour of courage, fortitude, and eventual victory.