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Britons Quotes

On empire, identity and national pride.

These Britons quotes range widely: one 18th-century voice condemns the barbarous treatment of Native Americans by British colonists in stark moral terms, while another looks back at how Britons judged the cruelties of the Roman and Catholic empires before them.

One thing Britons have always been celebrated for, and that is being able to stick it out in a tight place.

Quotes by Robert Baden-Powell

Because so many employers refuse to pay their workers a wage on which they can live - most Britons languishing below the poverty line are in work - the state has to spend billions of pounds a year on in-work...

Quotes by Owen Jones

In the past, Britons were scathing about the cruelties of the old Roman empire and the excesses of Catholic empire builders such as the Spanish and the French. They convinced themselves that their empire was different and benign because it...

Quotes by Linda Colley

Many Britons who backed Brexit believed - and believe still - that a U.K. 'freed' from 'Europe' would be able to recover and re-establish its historic destiny as an independent global trading nation.

Quotes by Linda Colley

Able Quotes

Heaven can never countenance the barbarous and unmanly practice of the Britons in America, which savages would blush at, and which, if not discontinued, will soon be retaliated on Britain by a justly enraged people.

Quotes by John Paul Jones

Rule, Britannia, rule the waves; Britons never will be slaves.

Quotes by James Thomson

We should be pushing our boundaries. After all, we Britons are explorers and adventurers.

Quotes by Helen Sharman

I hope there will be continued U.K. investment in human spaceflight to enable Britain to benefit from space travel in the longer term and that many more Britons - women and men - will travel into space.

Quotes by Helen Sharman

We should be the natural home for the millions of Britons of immigrant origin. But we're not. Because too often we've sounded like people who wish they hadn't come here at all.

Quotes by Francis Maude

After Quotes

Other nations use 'force'; we Britons alone use 'Might'.

Quotes by Evelyn Waugh

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these Britons quotes take a single view of British history?
No, they span centuries and viewpoints, from an 18th-century condemnation of colonial cruelty toward Native Americans to modern reflections on Brexit and national identity, presented here as historical record rather than endorsement.
What does the historical quote about 'barbarous' treatment refer to?
It's a period voice criticizing British colonists' harsh treatment of Native Americans in America, cited here as a genuine historical and moral objection rather than a modern political statement.
Why is 'Britons never will be slaves' included?
It's a line from the patriotic song 'Rule, Britannia!', included as a well-known historical expression of national pride rather than a comment on any particular era's politics.
Is there a quote connecting Britons to Brexit?
Yes, one describes the belief some Britons held that leaving the EU would let the U.K. reclaim its independent global trading role, presented as a documented viewpoint from the debate.
What related quote themes are linked from this page?
This page links to themes like always quotes and alone quotes for more reflections on conviction and independence.

More recent lines turn to Brexit and national identity, alongside the old patriotic couplet declaring that Britons never will be slaves, see always quotes for more on enduring conviction.