Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Thank God I have done my duty.
A ship's a fool to fight a fort.
Frigates are the eyes of a fleet.
I cannot command winds and weather.
I have a right to be blind sometimes.
There can be no place for self entirely
England expects every man to do his duty
I am a Norfolk man and Glory in being so.
Desperate affairs require desperate measures.
England expects that every man will do his duty.
Whoever gains the palm by merit, let him hold it.
It is my turn now; and if I come back, it is yours.
Close with a Frenchman, but out-maneuver a Russian.
Treat every Frenchman as if he was the devil himself.
What the country needs is the annihilation of the enemy.
A fleet of British ships at war are the best negotiators.
In honour I gained them, and in honour I will die with them.
I am of the opinion that the boldest measures are the safest.
First gain the victory and then make the best use of it you can.
In Sea affairs, nothing is impossible, and nothing is improbable.
Something must be left to chance; nothing is certain in a sea fight
To do nothing was disgraceful; therefore I made use of my understanding.
Hardy, I do believe they have done it at last... my backbone is shot through.
No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.
Thank God I have done my duty. Drink, drink. Fan, fan. Rub, rub. Kiss me, Hardy.
Time is everything; five minutes make the difference between victory and defeat.
My love is founded on esteem, the only foundation that can make the passion last.
Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon.
I owe all my success in life to having been always a quarter of an hour before my time.
Laurels grow in the Bay of Biscay, I hope a bed of them may be found in the Mediterranean.
I have only one eye, I have a right to be blind sometimes... I really do not see the signal!
I could not tread these perilous paths in safety, if I did not keep a saving sense of humor.
Our country will, I believe, sooner forgive an officer for attacking an enemy than for letting it alone.
Our Country will, I believe, sooner forgive an Officer for attacking his Enemy than for letting it alone.
The bravest man feels an anxiety 'circa praecordia' as he enters the battle; but he dreads disgrace yet more.
I believe my arrival was most welcome, not only to the Commander of the Fleet but almost to every individual in it.
When I follow my own head, I am, in general, much more correct in my judgment than following the opinion of others.
My character and good name are in my own keeping. Life with disgrace is dreadful. A glorious death is to be envied.
I am ill every time it blows hard, and nothing but my enthusiastic love for the profession keeps me one hour at sea.
Duty is the great business of a sea officer; all private considerations must give way to it, however painful it may be.
Had we taken ten sails, and let the eleventh to escape, being able to get at her, I could never have called it well done.
Recollect that you must be a seaman to be an officer and also that you cannot be a good officer without being a gentleman.
Never break the neutrality of a port or place, but never consider as neutral any place from whence an attack is allowed to be made.
If a man consults whether he is to fight, when he has the power in his own hands, it is certain that his opinion is against fighting.
I will dine nowhere without your consent although with my present feelings I might be trusted with fifty virgins naked in a dark room.
You must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your King, and you must treat every Frenchman as if he were the Devil himself.
I cannot, if I am in the field of glory, be kept out of sight: wherever there is anything to be done, there Providence is sure to direct my steps.
Now I can do no more. We must trust to the Great Disposer of all events and the justice of our cause. I thank God for this opportunity of doing my duty.
It is warm work; and this day may be the last to any of us at a moment. But mark you! I would not be elsewhere for thousands. - at the Battle of Copenhagen.
When I came to explain to them the 'Nelson Touch', it was like an electric shock. Some shed tears, all approved - 'It was new - it was singular - it was simple!'.