Edmund Waller Quotes

When Britain first, at Heaven's command, Arose from out the azure main, This was the charter of the land, And guardian angels sung this strain: 'Rule, Britannia, rule the waves; Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.'

Set in this stormy Northern sea, Queen of these restless fields of tide, England! what shall men say of thee, Before whose feet the worlds divide?

No people in the world can make you feel so small as the English.

Other lands may have their charms, and the sunny skies of other climes may be regretted, but it is with pride and gladness that the wanderer sets foot again on British soil, thanking God for the religion and the liberty which have made this weather-beaten island in a northern sea to be the light and glory of the world.

Throughout history, powers that did not have a strong navy, even though they were impressive on land, usually failed in all-out war

With Freedom's lion-banner Britannia rules the waves.

We cannot menace the peace of a single continental hamlet no matter how great our supreme navy may become but the … whole fortunes of our race and empire … would perish and be utterly swept away if our naval supremacy were to be impaired. It is the British navy which makes Great Britain a great power.

The culminating manifestation of naval force in the history of the world.

From knowledge, sea power. Ex Scientia Tridens

Great Britain.

Great Britain Is No Longer An Island.

It's unimaginable to meet a Pole or a German who does not know about the history of their country. But lots of English people don't know the difference between Britain and England.

Britain is a desirable place to live mainly because it is an island, which most people can't get to.

England, an old and exhausted island, must one day be contented, like other parents, to be strong only in her children.

But sea power has never led to despotism. The nations that have enjoyed sea power even for a brief period-Athens, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, England, the United States-are those that have preserved freedom for themselves and have given it to others. Of the despotism to which unrestrained military power leads we have plenty of examples from Alexander to Mao.

The historian Linda Colley has analysed how and why George III transformed himself from being a figure of 'perfect hatred' to the father of the country.

I don't feel I've arrived home until I get on the beach. All my life, the theater of the sea has been a very strong thing.

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 rested on sea power and trade rather than on armies.

The story of the British empire helps to explain the roots of most British people: white, black, and Asian.

England in a way is lucky. It's an island, so the frontiers are given by the sea.

When I live in a country, I always try to learn about the country - not just England, the U.K. as a whole - so I will stay here some days to do something different.

I've been living in England for a while, and I am still trying to figure out why we have Great Britain playing the Olympics together and England in football.

London's been really good to me - England as a whole - but the Scots and the Irish especially are very appreciative because that's kind of where it all came from.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.