"I am easily satisfied with the very best"
About this Quote
Churchill’s line is a small masterclass in swagger dressed as standards. “Easily satisfied” is an almost comic understatement from a man famous for appetite, conflict, and rhetoric; it pretends to be modest while planting an uncompromising demand. The trick is in the collision: “easily” suggests a low bar, a relaxed temperament, even a shrug. “The very best” detonates that calm, revealing the real bar is sky-high. It’s not self-denial; it’s self-authorization.
As a statesman, Churchill isn’t just talking about taste (though he often was, and the line plays well in the legend of cigars, champagne, and late nights). He’s advertising a governing philosophy: don’t haggle over mediocrity, don’t settle for half-measures, and don’t apologize for preferring excellence. The subtext is political as much as personal. In a culture that often mistakes severity for seriousness, Churchill insists that greatness can be simple: decide what you require, then act like it’s normal to ask for it.
Context matters because Churchill’s public persona was built on morale and resolve. This quip turns resolve into something almost breezy. That breeziness is strategic: it reframes high expectations not as elitism but as common sense. There’s also a faint edge of defiance - a refusal to be guilted into “good enough” by scarcity, fear, or bureaucratic compromise. It’s a line that flatters the speaker, yes, but it also dares the listener: if the very best is the only thing that satisfies you, your life - and your politics - can’t be small.
As a statesman, Churchill isn’t just talking about taste (though he often was, and the line plays well in the legend of cigars, champagne, and late nights). He’s advertising a governing philosophy: don’t haggle over mediocrity, don’t settle for half-measures, and don’t apologize for preferring excellence. The subtext is political as much as personal. In a culture that often mistakes severity for seriousness, Churchill insists that greatness can be simple: decide what you require, then act like it’s normal to ask for it.
Context matters because Churchill’s public persona was built on morale and resolve. This quip turns resolve into something almost breezy. That breeziness is strategic: it reframes high expectations not as elitism but as common sense. There’s also a faint edge of defiance - a refusal to be guilted into “good enough” by scarcity, fear, or bureaucratic compromise. It’s a line that flatters the speaker, yes, but it also dares the listener: if the very best is the only thing that satisfies you, your life - and your politics - can’t be small.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Evidence: nted across the square i am sorry i cannot go with 10 you he added but the judge Other candidates (3) The Biteback Dictionary of Humorous Political Quotations (Fred Metcalf, 2012) compilation95.0% ... WINSTON , 1874–1965 , WRITER , ORATOR AND BRITISH CONSERVATIVE POLITICIAN AND PRIME MINISTER , 1940–45 , 1951-55 ... Winston Churchill (Winston Churchill) compilation50.0% heart if i were italian i am sure i would have been with you entirely from the b Ian Hamilton's March (Churchill, Winston, 1965) primary50.0% i am encouraged to repeat the experiment the principal event with which the sec |
| Video | Watch Video Quote |
| Featured | This quote was our Quote of the Day on January 5, 2026 |
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