LETTERS OF NOTE: CLEMENTINE’S ADVICE TO GRUMPY HUSBAND WINSTON

power, you must combine urbanity, kindness and if possible Olympic calm. You used to quote: “On ne règne sur les âmes que par le calme” (One can reign over hearts only by keeping one’s composure). I cannot bear that those who serve the country and yourself should not love as well as admire and respect you.

Besides, you won’t get the best results with irascibility and rudeness. They will breed either dislike or a slave mentality – rebellion in wartime being out of the question.

Please forgive your loving, devoted and watchful CLEMIE I wrote this at Chequers last Sunday, tore it up, but here it is now.

This letter was taken from the website Letters of Note, a collection of the world’s greatest correspondence. Letters of Note can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.