My heart is broken by the terrible loss I have sustained in my old friends and companions and my poor soldiers. Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won.
Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A victorious battle causing heavy losses is as sad as a defeat.
- In plain terms
- Winning with heavy losses is heartbreaking.
- What can you take from it?
- Victory does not erase grief.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is winning worth the cost?
Another view
Some view victory as justifying loss.
More from Arthur Wellesley
Either night or the Prussians will come.
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