Horatio Nelson
Horatio Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté KBwas a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. He was noted for his inspirational leadership, superb grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics, all of which resulted in a number of decisive naval victories, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was wounded several times in combat, losing one arm in the unsuccessful attempt to conquer Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the sight in one eye in Corsica. He was shot and...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionWar Hero
Date of Birth29 September 1758
I owe all my success in life to having always been a quarter of an hour beforehand
I think it will surprise and confound the enemy. They won't know what I am about. It will bring forward a pell-mell battle, and that is what I want.
You must hate a Frenchman as you do the devil
Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon.
Recollect that you must be a seaman to be an officer and also that you cannot be a good officer without being a gentleman.
England expects that every man will do his duty.
Time is everything; five minutes make the difference between victory and defeat.
Desperate affairs require desperate measures.
I could not tread these perilous paths in safety, if I did not keep a saving sense of humor.
Firstly you must always implicitly obey orders, without attempting to form any opinion of your own regarding their propriety. Secondly, you must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your king; and thirdly you must hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil.
Duty is the great business of a sea officer; all private considerations must give way to it, however painful it may be.
Close with a Frenchman, but out-maneuver a Russian.
The politics of courts are so mean that private people would be ashamed to act in the same way; all is trick and finesse, to which the common cause is sacrificed.
A fleet of British ships at war are the best negotiators.