Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·323 of 348
"We shall fight them on the beaches."
They never said that.
What people say
"We shall fight them on the beaches."
What was actually said
"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds ..." Winston Churchill — Address to the House of Commons, 4 June 1940
Why it stuck
The "them" is always inserted. Churchill's original is intransitive — "we shall fight" six times.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.