“12 million feathers on his wings…”
I came across a saying by Churchill on the lines of: “There are 13 million feathers on a dragonfly’s wing yet it is but a mouthful for a bird.” He was saying that only in humans does one finds sentimentality, sadness or compassion for dreadful things that happen. —R.H.
I searched for “dragonfly’s wing” and nothing came up. I tried “million feathers” and sure enough! Great quote. Sorry I missed it in Churchill by Himself, but it will be in the sequel, The Definitive Wit of Winston Churchill.
On 10 January 1898 Winston wrote to his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, from Bangalore, India, where he was stationed, imploring her to help him join the Sudan Campaign as a war correspondent.…