Churchill's energy, persistence and judgment

Churchill's energy is the starting point for assessing his decisions across a long public career. Persistence helped him act decisively, but it could also keep him committed to a poor course. His Harrow speech makes room for changing direction when honour and good sense require it. The difficulty was persuading him that a new argument outweighed the one he had already accepted. Individual decisions need to be judged in context and considered alongside his record as a whole.