5 Iconic Quotes by the Duke of Wellington

The quotes of the Duke of Wellington, combined with his skills, attitude, and historical achievements, will continue to inspire generations of people for hundreds of years to come. What inspired Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, to deliver his most famous quotes, and at whom were they aimed?

We’ve all heard of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, we have also all heard his witty comments and pearls of wisdom which were deemed valuable enough to be recorded. His words are unmistakably his own. After all, he is responsible for some of the most iconic quotes in British history.

Wellington’s words were not only amusing but also plentiful. He left us so many messages that, when it comes to selecting one to consider, history enthusiasts may wonder exactly where to begin.

“The only thing I am afraid of is fear,” “I never saw so many shocking bad hats in my life,” and “I believe I forgot to tell you I was made a Duke,” are all instantly recognizable to anyone with an interest in 19th century Britain.

On searching for “Duke of Wellington quotes,” either online or in literature, one will be immediately bombarded with hundreds of appropriate suggestions. But quotes, without background and without context, can lack deeper meaning and even lose their humorous elements.

From his famous “Publish and be damned,” to his lesser-known “Sparrowhawks, ma’am,” in this article, we will take a moment to explore the fascinating stories behind some of his words. What inspired Wellington to utter the phrases that have since become remembered as his most infamous quips?

What Do You Need to Know About the Duke of Wellington?

There would be no point in examining the quotes of an unknown or unfamiliar figure. So, to truly understand and appreciate the meaning behind the Duke of Wellington’s quotes, we must first understand exactly who he was, what he did, and what made him worthy of becoming a national hero.

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was a British soldier and statesman who lived between the years of 1769 and 1852. He lived during the reigns of four Monarchs: King George III, King George IV, King William IV, and perhaps most importantly, Queen Victoria.

Wellington is famous for two reasons. Firstly, he is famous for his crucial role in the Napoleonic Wars and for leading the English army to victory at the Battle of Waterloo. Secondly, he is famous for becoming Prime Minister of Britain on two separate occasions, firstly from 1828 to 1830, and then again for a brief spell in 1834.

Although he enjoyed a successful political career, it was his capability in battle that ensured Wellington would be remembered forever. Even now, he is well known for his adaptive defensive style of warfare, and he is still regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of the modern era.

So esteemed is the Duke of Wellington that the Encyclopaedia Britannica describes him as “the conqueror of the world’s conqueror,” stating that there is still “widespread appreciation of his military genius and of his character as an honest and selfless politician, uncorrupted by vast prestige.”

Wellington continued as one of the leading figures in the House of Lords until his retirement and even remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until his death. In the 21st century, Brits are reminded daily of Wellington’s life and achievements. Monuments erected in his honor are dotted all over England, Ireland, and Wales.

Some of the most famous include the Wellington Monument (which stands on Park Lane in London), the Wellington Arch (which stands on Hyde Park Corner, also in London), and a monumental column and statue in his birthplace of County Meath in Ireland.

“Sparrowhawks, Ma’am!” What can we immediately tell about this exclamation? Well, obviously, this famous pair of words were originally uttered in response to a direct question.

It was Queen Victoria who, at the very beginning of the 1850s, specifically requested the Duke of Wellington’s advice. Assuming he would come up with an appropriate and immediate answer, she asked something along the lines of, “ … how are we going to get rid of all these sparrows?”

Queen Victoria was talking about the many hundreds of sparrows that had seen fit to nest in the newly finished Crystal Palace, where the famous Great Exhibition was due to take place within the next few weeks. For this event, more than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world would gather to display the finest and most modern technology of the industrial revolution.

In Victorian Britain (and even had it been built in 21st-century Britain), the Crystal Palace would have been quite a sight to behold. It was nearly 2,000 feet long and nearly 130 feet high. It covered an enormous area of nearly 100,000 square feet. This made it three times as large as Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

An incredible 60,000 panes of glass were manufactured by the talented Chance Brothers and, shockingly, the construction was completed within 39 weeks. Once finished, it was said to have been the greatest area of glass ever seen in a single building. It amazed visitors with its clear walls and ceilings that, during the day, did not require interior lighting.

It seemed that the only problem with this Palace was the selection of uninvited guests that it had attracted. To say that the sparrows had made a nuisance of themselves would be something of an understatement. They not only nested in the elms but also perched on the trusses and girders, and made excellent use of the wide open space in which to fly. If they remained at the Crystal Palace, they were sure to make a severe mess of some of the world’s greatest artistic and scientific treasures.

Allowing them to continue to reside there was simply not an option, and as the Crystal Palace was made entirely of glass, attempting to shoot the sparrows would have been extremely ill-advised. Poison was tried but to no avail. The sparrows needed to be removed within two weeks. Help had been requested from some of the greatest minds of the era, including not only the Palace’s designer Joseph Paxton but also Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, all of whom had failed to find a solution.

When Queen Victoria caught wind of the problem, she immediately demanded: “Send for the Duke.” He was sent for, and when presented with the problem, the ever-capable and multi-talented Duke said, “Sparrowhawks, ma’am.” 

The sparrowhawks were brought in and then left to do what came naturally. Since one sparrowhawk is capable of catching and consuming over 2,000 sparrows per year, there is little wonder that by the time the Great Exhibition was due to begin, the infestation had cleared entirely. No doubt some sparrows were caught; no doubt the majority flew away as soon as they realized their new home had been infiltrated.

The Great Exhibition opened, as planned and sparrow-free, on the first of May in 1851. It was the first World’s Fair exhibition of culture and industry and is now remembered as one of the most important events of the reign of Queen Victoria. Some of the highlights included a hydraulic press, a fire engine, and a 27-foot-tall crystal fountain.

The event made £186,000 (equivalent to £21,670,000 today) and the money was used to create several more museums; the Victoria and Albert, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum.

The Crystal Palace no longer stands. The astonishing building that took 9 months to complete was utterly destroyed by a fire within just a few short hours. This disaster occurred on the 30th of November in 1936. Although 80 fire engines and 400 firemen attended the scene, it was unfortunately inextinguishable.

The future Prime Minister Winston Churchill was one of the 100,000 people who gathered to watch the blaze. He is said to have commented that the loss of the Crystal Palace signified “the end of an age.”  

Historians now joke that Wellington’s victory over the Crystal Palace sparrows was equal only to his victory at the Battle of Waterloo.

“The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.” Perhaps due to the mention of his most famous victory, this quote has become one of Wellington’s most recognizable.

To put it simply, with these words, Wellington was declaring that the skills learned at Eton College directly contributed to the British successes at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Eton College was originally founded by King Henry VI in the year of 1440. However, by the 18th century, Eton had already become widely renowned for its rigorous program of physical exercise and for its variety of sports. Here, Wellington was suggesting that participation in an Eton education was solely responsible for providing the courage, strength, discipline, bravery, and strategic thinking required on the battlefield.

With this quote, Wellington was complimenting not only the College itself, but also his own upbringing, education, and life experience. As you might expect, Wellington himself attended Eton during his school days. He began his education there in 1781, at the age of 12, and left three years later, in 1784.

Eton College has a rich history and prestigious reputation, both of which would certainly have prepared the young Arthur Wellesley for later life as a statesman, politician, military commander, and Duke. In the past, Eton was described as “The nursery of England’s gentlemen,” or “The chief nurse of England’s statesmen,” and has always been associated with the British ruling classes.

It seems feasible that Wellington felt it necessary, on the spur of the moment, to compliment Eton, but there is actually much doubt among historians regarding whether this quote was genuine or fabricated. Even Eton College itself has expressed doubt over whether these words were ever spoken by Wellington at all.

According to the historian Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy (1812-1878), Wellington actually said—while passing an Eton cricket match many decades after the Battle of Waterloo—“There grows the stuff that won Waterloo.” Other variations on the quote, which suggest Wellington was present on the grounds of Eton rather than on the Battlefield when he spoke these infamous words, include “It is here that the Battle of Waterloo was won.”

Even if Wellington did say “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton,” realistically, the statement could hardly be further from the truth. Wellington led what has since become known as a multinational army. 

More than half of Wellington’s force consisted of Hanoverians, Saxons, Dutchmen, Belgians, and Prussians. Only a quarter of the 120,000 soldiers were British, and it is estimated that one in eight of these soldiers were English.

The political journalist, Colin Brown (1950-2020), stated that “Victorian jingoism fuelled one of the most persistent myths about Waterloo; that it was a British, or even more inaccurately, an English victory.” Nonetheless, the original quote will likely be connected to Wellington’s name for the foreseeable future.

We know that Wellington thought very well of his time at this ancient and distinguished College. His children, Arthur Wellesley 2nd Duke of Wellington, and Lord Charles Wellesley, were both provided with an Eton education.

Like many of Wellington’s quotes, this one has some notable variations. “I have seen their backs before, Your Majesty,” is also cited in some records as “I have seen their backs before, madam.” This leaves the reader wondering exactly who the Duke was addressing with this statement — either King Louis XVIII of France or an unidentified young lady.

The only thing we know for certain is whose backs Wellington was referring to, in particular. Apparently, either the King or the Lady had apologized for the rudeness of some French soldiers, who had purposely turned away from Wellington as he entered the room.

After receiving the apology for their behavior, as calmly as ever, Wellington assured either the King or the Lady that the incident was “of no matter,” and that he had “seen their backs before.”

According to the Anecdotes of Wellington, this event is likely to have taken place at a ball in Vienna, during the spring of 1814. Wellington’s response is just one example of his cool, confident, uncaring, and unflappable nature.

4. “She Has Grown Ugly, By Jove!”: To His Brother, Gerald Wellesley 

“She has grown ugly, by Jove!” This is certainly the most cutting of Wellington’s comments. The words are made worse given who they were aimed at: Kitty Pakenham, the woman he was soon to marry.

In their youth, this couple had been very much in love. He had asked twice for her hand and had twice been denied by her family, who considered the debt-ridden 23-year-old an inappropriate match. In 1796, the two were conveniently separated when Wellesley and his regiment were sent to India. This meant that, at the point of their engagement in 1806, they had not laid eyes on each other in eleven years.

Kitty still adored Wellesley and had even called off other engagements in the hope that he would remain faithful to her. Feeling bound by his initial promises (having lessened his debt and elevated his own position) Wellesley sent another formal proposal of marriage.

Kitty was delighted. However, she still didn’t instantly accept this offer. Instead, she expressed doubt that Wellesley would still find her attractive when he returned home and saw her for the first time in over a decade. She warned him that “in so many years I may be much more changed than I am myself conscious of. If when you have met you can tell me that you do not repent having written the letter I am answering now, I shall be most happy.”

When Wellesley arrived home in Dublin in 1806, he realized that she was right. How exactly Kitty had changed is not specified. We may naturally imagine that, at the age of 30, she appeared older and larger to Wellington than she had when she was 19.

Whatever had happened to her must have been immediately noticeable. Wellesley was horrified by the supposed transformation and, with disapproval, informed his brother “She has grown ugly, by Jove.”

But he was a man of his word; he kept his judgments to himself and went through with the wedding on the 10th of April of the same year. Although the union produced two legitimate male children, it produced very little in the way of happiness.

Harriet Arbuthnot, Wellesley’s closest female friend with whom he had no romantic attachment, heard much about his marital woes. In response, Harriet described Kitty as “the most abominably silly and stupid woman that ever was born.” However, she did appear to have some sympathy, for she scolded Wellesley, saying that “it would be much better if he would be civil to her, but he is not, for he never speaks to her and carefully avoids ever going near her.”

Wellesley confided in Harriet that Kitty “made his house so dull that nobody would go into it,” and that her demeanor “drove him to seek abroad that comfort and happiness that was denied at home.”

We know by now that Wellington hated his wife but he also adored female company and could not do without it. Naturally, this led to the taking of many mistresses. Just a handful of the ladies who were rumored to have enjoyed a romantic liaison with Wellington included Lady Frances Wedderburn-Webster, Lady Frances Shelley, Lady Caroline Lamb, Lady Charlotte Greville, and Marianne Patterson.

Some of his more notable relationships with more prominent historical figures included brief affairs with the Italian opera singer (Giuseppina Grassini), and Marguerite Georges (a French actress), both of whom were former lovers of Napoleon Bonaparte. Mademoiselle Georges later claimed that Wellington was “by far the stronger” of her two lovers, but perhaps, the less said about that the better.

Strong or otherwise, women from all over Europe were quite willing to throw themselves at Wellington’s feet.

The Countess Granville described her encounter with the Duke of Wellington, which occurred in Paris during 1817. “The fact is,” she began, “that I really believe the Duke finds so few women who do not make up to him. Granville will be pleased to hear of my successes, for an ugly good sort of woman to be attended to by a man into whose good graces beauties force themselves by dint of servility.”

However, as many men throughout history have discovered, some mistresses cause more trouble than others. One such lady was Harriette Dubouchet, who is now more commonly remembered as Harriette Wilson. Harriette lived between the years of 1786 and 1845, and (like three of her sisters) lived as a Courtesan. She is best known for her relationship with the Duke of Wellington.

Later in life, having been abandoned by her lovers, Harriette Wilson found that she was down on her luck and that her personal finances were lacking. To remedy this problem, she decided to secure an income by some other means. Having written her own memoirs, mainly detailing intimacies with former lovers, she contacted each one individually and offered them the chance to escape the embarrassment she was about to inflict.

We do not know what sums of money were demanded by Harriette, but we do know that many letters were distributed among the British nobility; probably one for every man she had welcomed into her bed throughout her career. Some men responded favorably, paid up, and were removed from the memoir.

However, others didn’t. When Wellington received this threat, he gave a definite answer. “Publish and be damned.” We may assume, from this firm response, that he did not even entertain the idea of weakening.

But, publish she did.

Her 1825 publication is entitled Memoirs of Harriette Wilson, Written By Herself, and is widely celebrated for its opening line, “I shall not say how and why I became, at the age of fifteen, the Mistress of the Earl of Craven.” It was reprinted by the Navarre Society in 1924, as was a follow-up title Paris Lions and London Tigers, in 1935.

Like Wellington, Harriette’s name has also been connected with a variety of other high-profile gentlemen of the era, including William Craven Earl of Craven, Frederick Lamb 3rd Viscount Melbourne, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Ponsonby, and even Prince George of Wales (the future King George IV).

It should be noted that Harriette Wilson never made any mention of bedding or even meeting the Prince of Wales in person in her memoirs. In fact, there are a large number of other politicians and nobles whose names do not feature at all. However, it is worth noting that many of these men would have been willing to do what Wellington was not.

It is perfectly reasonable to suggest that they did have a relationship with Harriette but were spared humiliation after responding to her blackmail. We can assume these threats would have worked on a small selection of her prestigious lovers; especially those who wanted to protect their own dignity, and had the funds required to do so.

Although we have looked at five of the Duke of Wellington’s best-known quotes, there are a wealth of others to consider. A few of the most interesting quotes to research include “Habit is ten times nature,” “A great country cannot wage a little war,” and “My rule was always to do the business of the day in the day.”