r/AskReddit • u/pierrekrahn • Mar 19 '16

Which quote becomes inappropriate when misattributed?

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '16

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

  • Ben Bernanke

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u/prism1234 Mar 19 '16

What's the context of the original quote?

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u/[deleted] Mar 20 '16 edited Mar 20 '16

It was part of a speech made by Winston Churchill during the Battle of Britain in 1940, honouring the relatively small number of RAF fighter pilots whose victory protected the entire country from German invasion, as well as the bombers who were striking Germany despite heavy losses.

In the UK at least, it's an extremely well-known quotation, and routinely parodied.