“Rough Men Stand Ready…”
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” Is this something Churchill said? I see it frequently credited to him: “We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” —L.K., Dallas
He did not. From Churchill by Himself, Red Herrings Appendix, 572-73:
Defenders of the peace
”People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” [Alternative: ”We…