Help me source this quotation on leadership, please.

Fri 21 Jan 2022, 07:04 (last edited on Fri 21 Jan 2022, 12:44)

You can find the original Wellington sources (a letter by Wellington, and a later conversation) here: https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/book-review-all-for-the-kings-shilling-the-british-soldier-under-wellington-1808-1814/ (Orwell quoted the version you mention in a 1939 essay, 'Democracy in the British Army', which is also online.)

Edit: my mistake, I've misunderstood what you were looking for. The leadership quote as you have it isn't anywhere online, including Google Books. Bit of a challenge!

Thu 20 Jan 2022, 18:38

Just Google its on there 

Thu 20 Jan 2022, 18:19

I’ve had a look through my collection of browser bookmarks as a couple of years ago I found a website- more than one - dedicated to quotes and the origins of famous sayings. Can’t remember how got there but must have been a simple “DuckDuck Go” search, followed up by a Google search if quackers questions doesn’t work. Duck is suggested as a first choice because of its ethical stance and refusal to track and record searches, adding them to personal databases  on *you* to sell to advertisers - and who knows where else the personal information goes? Why not, perhaps in the “future “ to health insurance corpserats wanting to “acturalise” health for entire families (parents or grandparents health outcomes impacting on insurance for descendants). Or political organisations seeking to find people with “unpatriotic “ thoughts. Both of those have happened, btw. Supposedly. Q-anon move over.

Sun 16 Jan 2022, 10:26

I've been using this quotation for ages, without knowing who said it first (I wish I had).  In present circumstances it's quite useful.  I don't know whether this sort of topic is suitable for the forum, but I reckon that there's more chance of recognition in Charlbury than most communities ...

'The difference between Wellington and Nelson as leaders was that Wellington could afford to call his army "the scum of the earth, enlisted for drink," but Nelson couldn't, being on the same ship.'  

It's not Monsarrat, though The Cruel Sea suggests itself, and my friend-who-knows-everything is stumped also.  But I don't like quoting without attribution - can anyone help please?