Problem

136. Single Number

Java

Hash Set

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import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.Set;

class Solution {
    public int singleNumber(int[] nums) {
        Set<Integer> c = new HashSet<Integer>();
        for (int i : nums) {
            if (c.contains(i))
                c.remove(i);
            else
                c.add(i);
        }
        return c.iterator().next();        
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 61 / 61 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 8 ms, faster than 42.20% of Java online submissions for Single Number.
• Memory Usage: 39.8 MB, less than 22.36% of Java online submissions for Single Number.

sorting

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class Solution {
    public int singleNumber(int[] nums) {
        Arrays.sort(nums);
        final int N = nums.length;
        if (N == 1)
            return nums[0];
        if (nums[0] != nums[1])
            return nums[0];
        if (nums[N - 1] != nums[N - 2])
            return nums[N - 1];
        for (int i = 1; i < N - 1; i++) {
            if (nums[i] != nums[i + 1] && nums[i] != nums[i - 1]) {
                return nums[i];
            }
        }
        return nums[0];       
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 61 / 61 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 5 ms, faster than 54.05% of Java online submissions for Single Number.
• Memory Usage: 39.2 MB, less than 69.77% of Java online submissions for Single Number.

XOR Bitwise

n ^ n = 0

n ^ 0 = n

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class Solution {
    public int singleNumber(int[] nums) {
        int r = nums[0];
        for (int i = 1; i < nums.length; i++) {
            r = r ^ nums[i];
        }
        return r;       
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 61 / 61 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 1 ms, faster than 94.97% of Java online submissions for Single Number.
• Memory Usage: 39.1 MB, less than 79.60% of Java online submissions for Single Number.

java8 stream + xor bitwise

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class Solution {
    public int singleNumber(int[] nums) {
        return Arrays.stream(nums).reduce(0, (a, b) -> a^b);      
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 61 / 61 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 2 ms, faster than 55.66% of Java online submissions for Single Number.
• Memory Usage: 39.2 MB, less than 69.77% of Java online submissions for Single Number.

Problem

976. Largest Perimeter Triangle

Java

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class Solution {    
    public int largestPerimeter(int[] A) {
        Arrays.sort(A);
        int a, b, c;
        for (int i = A.length - 1; i >= 2; i--) {
            a = A[i - 2];
            b = A[i - 1];
            c = A[i];
            if (a + b > c) {
                return a + b + c;
            }
        }
        return 0;       
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 84 / 84 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 6 ms, faster than 99.79% of Java online submissions for Largest Perimeter Triangle.
• Memory Usage: 39.4 MB, less than 76.17% of Java online submissions for Largest Perimeter Triangle.

Problem

1137. N-th Tribonacci Number

Java

DP

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class Solution {
    public int tribonacci(int n) {
        int T = 0;
        int T1 = 0, T2 = 1, T3 = 1;
        if (n == 0)
            T = 0;
        if (n == 1)
            T = 1;
        if (n == 2)
            T = 1;
        for (int i = 3; i <= n; i++) {
            T = T1 + T2 + T3;
            T1 = T2;
            T2 = T3;
            T3 = T;
        }
        return T;
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 39 / 39 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 0 ms, faster than 100.00% of Java online submissions for N-th Tribonacci Number.
• Memory Usage: 35.8 MB, less than 47.18% of Java online submissions for N-th Tribonacci Number.

Problem

1360. Number of Days Between Two Dates

Java

Origin-based algorithm

© Algorithms for calculating the difference of dates in days - 4. Origin-based Algorithm

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class Solution {
    final static int[] daysUpToMonth = {0, 31, 59, 90, 120, 151, 181, 212, 243, 273, 304, 334};
    final static int[] daysUpToMonthLeapYear = {0, 31, 60, 91, 121, 152, 182, 213, 244, 274, 305, 335};

    public boolean isLeapYear(int year) {
        return (year % 4 == 0) && ((year % 100 != 0) || (year % 400 == 0));
    }
    
    public int GetDaysOffsetFromOrigin(int year, int month, int day) {
        if (isLeapYear(year)) {
            year--;
            int numOfLeapsYear = year / 4 - year / 100 + year / 400;
            return year * 365 + numOfLeapsYear + daysUpToMonthLeapYear[month - 1] + day - 1;
        } else {
            year--;
            int numOfLeapsYear = year / 4 - year / 100 + year / 400;
            return year * 365 + numOfLeapsYear + daysUpToMonth[month - 1] + day - 1;
        }
    }    
    
    public int daysBetweenDates(String date1, String date2) {
        int y1 = Integer.parseInt(date1.substring(0, 4));
        int m1 = Integer.parseInt(date1.substring(5, 7));
        int d1 = Integer.parseInt(date1.substring(8, 10));

        int y2 = Integer.parseInt(date2.substring(0, 4));
        int m2 = Integer.parseInt(date2.substring(5, 7));
        int d2 = Integer.parseInt(date2.substring(8, 10));

        int daysOffset = GetDaysOffsetFromOrigin(y1, m1, d1);
        int daysOffset2 = GetDaysOffsetFromOrigin(y2, m2, d2);

        int diff = daysOffset2 - daysOffset;

        return diff >= 0 ? diff : -diff;        
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 105 / 105 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 0 ms, faster than 100.00% of Java online submissions for Number of Days Between Two Dates.
• Memory Usage: 37.1 MB, less than 71.69% of Java online submissions for Number of Days Between Two Dates.

jdk

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import java.time.LocalDate;
import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;

import static java.time.temporal.ChronoUnit.DAYS;

class Solution {
    public int daysBetweenDates(String date1, String date2) {
        DateTimeFormatter dft = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("yyyy-MM-dd");
        LocalDate d1 = LocalDate.parse(date1, dft);
        LocalDate d2 = LocalDate.parse(date2, dft);
        long diff = DAYS.between(d1, d2);
        int d = new Long(diff).intValue();
        return d >= 0 ? d : -d;        
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 105 / 105 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 14 ms, faster than 13.23% of Java online submissions for Number of Days Between Two Dates.
• Memory Usage: 38.4 MB, less than 21.16% of Java online submissions for Number of Days Between Two Dates.

© FSI’s Experience with Language Learning

The following language learning timelines reflect 70 years of experience in teaching languages to U.S. diplomats, and illustrate the time usually required for a student to reach “Professional Working Proficiency” in the language, or a score of “Speaking-3/Reading-3” on the Interagency Language Roundtable scale. These timelines are based on what FSI has observed as the average length of time for a student to achieve proficiency, though the actual time can vary based on a number of factors, including the language learner’s natural ability, prior linguistic experience, and time spent in the classroom.

Category I Languages: 24-30 weeks (600-750 class hours)

Languages more similar to English.

• Danish (24 weeks)
• Dutch (24 weeks)
• French (30 weeks)
• Italian (24 weeks)
• Norwegian (24 weeks)
• Portuguese (24 weeks)
• Romanian (24 weeks)
• Spanish (24 weeks)
• Swedish (24 weeks)

Category II Languages: Approximately 36 weeks (900 class hours)

• German
• Haitian Creole
• Indonesian
• Malay
• Swahili

Category III Languages: Approximately 44 weeks (1100 class hours)

“Hard languages” – Languages with significant linguistic and/or cultural differences from English. This list is not exhaustive.

• Albanian
• Amharic
• Armenian
• Azerbaijani
• Bengali
• Bulgarian
• Burmese
• Czech
• Dari
• Estonian
• Farsi
• Finnish
• Georgian
• Greek
• Hebrew
• Hindi
• Hungarian
• Icelandic
• Kazakh
• Khmer
• Kurdish
• Kyrgyz
• Lao
• Latvian
• Lithuanian
• Macedonian
• Mongolian
• Nepali
• Polish
• Russian
• Serbo-Croatian
• Sinhala
• Slovak
• Slovenian
• Somali
• Tagalog
• Tajiki
• Tamil
• Telugu
• Thai
• Tibetan
• Turkish
• Turkmen
• Ukrainian
• Urdu
• Uzbek
• Vietnamese

Category IV Languages: 88 weeks (2200 class hours)

“Super-hard languages” – Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers.

• Arabic
• Chinese – Cantonese
• Chinese – Mandarin
• Japanese
• Korean

IELTS Academic mean performance by first language

| Reading | Listening | Writing | Speaking | Overall
———– | ——- | ——— | ——- | ——– | ——-
English | 6.7 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 6.9
Italian | 7.4 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.8
French | 6.9 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.7
German | 7.7 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 7.4
Indonesian | 6.7 | 6.7 | 5.8 | 6.3 | 6.4
Russian | 6.7 | 6.8 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 6.5
Chinese | 6.2 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.9
Japanese | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.8
Korean | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 6.0

IELTS Academic mean performance by nationality

| Reading | Listening | Writing | Speaking | Overall
———– | ——- | ——— | ——- | ——– | ——-
Canada | 6.9 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 7.2 | 6.9
Italy | 7.3 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.8
France | 7.1 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.7
Germany | 7.7 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 7.4
Russian Federation | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 6.7
Indonesia | 6.7 | 6.8 | 5.8 | 6.3 | 6.5
Malaysia | 7.1 | 7.4 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.9
Philippines | 6.8 | 7.3 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.8
India | 5.9 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 6.1
Japan | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.8
Korea, Republic of | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 6.0
Hong Kong. SAR of China | 6.9 | 7.1 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.6
Taiwan, China | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 6.1
China | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.8

• IELTS Test taker performance 2019
• IELTS Demographic data 2019

Problem

167. Two Sum II - Input array is sorted

Java

Brute-force

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class Solution {
    public int[] twoSum(int[] numbers, int target) {
        final int N = numbers.length;
        int[] idxArr = {0, 0};
        for (int i = 0; i < N; i++)
            for (int j = N - 1; j > i; j--) {
                if (numbers[j] + numbers[i] == target) {
                    idxArr[0] = i + 1;
                    idxArr[1] = j + 1;
                    return idxArr;
                }
            }
        return idxArr;
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 17 / 17 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 191 ms, faster than 7.92% of Java online submissions for Two Sum II - Input array is sorted.
• Memory Usage: 39.6 MB, less than 16.46% of Java online submissions for Two Sum II - Input array is sorted.

binary search

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class Solution {
    public int[] twoSum(int[] numbers, int target) {
        final int N = numbers.length;
        int index1 = 0, index2 = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < N / 2 + 1; i++) {
            index1 = i;
            int diff = target - numbers[i];
            int lo = 0;
            int hi = i - 1;
            if (diff >= numbers[i]) {
                lo = i + 1;
                hi = N - 1;
            }
            index2 = search_rank(numbers, lo, hi, diff);
            if (index2 > -1) {
                index1++;
                index2++;
                break;
            }
        }
        return new int[]{index1, index2};
    }

    public int search_rank(int[] nums, int lo, int hi, int target) {
        // Array must be sorted.
        while (lo <= hi) {
            // Key is in a[lo..hi] or not present.
            int mid = lo + (hi - lo) / 2;
            if (target < nums[mid])
                hi = mid - 1;
            else if (target > nums[mid])
                lo = mid + 1;
            else
                return mid;
        }
        return -1;
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 17 / 17 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 2 ms, faster than 21.89% of Java online submissions for Two Sum II - Input array is sorted.
• Memory Usage: 39.2 MB, less than 45.66% of Java online submissions for Two Sum II - Input array is sorted.

Two Pointer

Algorithm Two Pointer Technique:

The two pointer technique is a useful tool to utilize when searching for pairs in a sorted array.

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class Solution {
    public int[] twoSum(int[] numbers, int target) {
        final int N = numbers.length;
        for (int lo = 0, hi = N - 1; lo < hi; ) {
            if (numbers[lo] + numbers[hi] > target)
                hi--;
            else if (numbers[lo] + numbers[hi] < target) {
                lo++;
            } else {
                return new int[]{lo + 1, hi + 1};
            }
        }
        return new int[]{0, 0};
    }
}

Submission Detail

• 17 / 17 test cases passed.
• Runtime: 0 ms, faster than 100.00% of Java online submissions for Two Sum II - Input array is sorted.
• Memory Usage: 39.4 MB, less than 33.74% of Java online submissions for Two Sum II - Input array is sorted.

This land is your land, This land is my land,
From Bonavista, to Vancouver Island
From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters,
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway;
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.

I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps,
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
While all around me a voice was sounding,
Saying this land was made for you and me.

The sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling;
As the fog was lifting, a voice was chanting,
This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land, this land is my land,
From Bonavista to Vancouver Island;
From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters,
This land was made for you and me.

• This Land Is Your Land
• Woody Guthrie
• This version was written and popularized by Canadian folk music group The Travellers in 1955.

• This Land is Your Land (Canadian Lyrics by The Travellers)
• The Travellers: This Land is Your Land (Canadian version)

Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2020 is pandemic.

Collins

‘Lockdown’, the containment measure implemented by governments around the world to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, has been named the Collins Word of the Year 2020.

Oxford Dictionaries - Words of an unprecedented year

Oxford Languages concluded that this is a year which cannot be neatly accommodated in one single word.

The language of Covid-19

Coronavirus, Covid-19, and related words

By March this year coronavirus was one of the most frequently used nouns in the English language

Pandemic and other -demics

An epidemic is a disease which is widespread in a community; a pandemic is one which has spread much more widely, across a whole country, multiple countries, or the whole world.

Social distancing, lockdown, and other measures

In March this year, as governments across the world introduced measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19, social distancing – along with the related verb socially distance and the adjective socially distanced – surged in frequency.

Masks and coverings

Mask-shaming is especially interesting as it is a contronym which has two opposite meanings

Epidemiological terms

Other terms which have become much more common this year in everyday discourse include flatten the curve and community transmission.

An important aspect of reducing transmission is eliminating superspreader events.

On the frontline

Other very significant words of the year are those relating to the medical response to Covid-19, including PPE (and its fuller form personal protective equipment) and ventilator. There has also been a recognition of medical staff and other workers providing an essential service, often referred to as key workers (especially in the UK), essential workers (especially in the US), or frontline workers.

World Englishes

Most lexical innovation happened this year as a reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic

A particularly noteworthy example is circuit breaker, a term originally referring to a safety device that stops the flow of current in an electric circuit, and later also in widespread use as a piece of financial slang for a regulatory instrument designed to prevent panic selling by temporarily stopping trading on an exchange.

At the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a Southeast Asian word suddenly gained global prominence: wet market.

Faced with the challenges of providing face-to-face classroom teaching, the education sector in many countries turned to technology: e-learning has become a widely used term in Africa and Asia; in Southeast Asia, there has been much discussion on new learning modalities; and more widely blended learning which combines online with in-person instruction has seen a significant increase in usage.

Technology and remote working

The lockdown accelerated the move towards flexible, remote working

The environment

One of the defining climatic events of the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 was the Australian bushfire season, the worst on record. The word bushfire surged in frequency in January, and was one of the top keywords in our corpus that month.

In March this year, the frequency of climate, global warming, and related terms plummeted in our corpus.

Climate and related terms are becoming more frequent again, while net zero (another word on our 2019 Word of the Year shortlist, referring to a target of completely negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity) is also on the rise: the recent increase partly relates to the historic pledge made by President Xi Jinping in September, that China will be carbon neutral by 2060.

Social movements and social media

the term Black Lives Matter, and its abbreviation BLM, exploded in usage beginning in June of this year

there has been a surge in usage of D&I, an abbreviation of diversity and inclusion, as well as BIPOC, an abbreviation of black, indigenous, and other people of colour.

we noted increases in the term cancel culture, the culture of boycotting and withdrawing support from public figures whose words and actions are considered socially unacceptable, as well as the use of Karen as a generic name for a white woman who behaves in a stereotypically racist or discriminatory manner.

Politics and economics

impeachment was a hot topic, and was one of the keywords in our corpus in January when the trial to impeach Donald Trump began. Acquittal peaked in February at the conclusion of the trial.

Furlough was originally associated with members of the armed forces going on leave, and was chiefly used in the US. In March and April 2020 though, when it started to be used in other countries as employers were given grants to pay employees who were not working, usage shot up.

Elsewhere our language use highlights the story of the shocking economic impact of the crisis. Words showing significant increase in use include stimulus, unemployment, layoff, and eviction.

• Word of the Year 2020
• Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year 2020
• The Collins Word of the Year 2020 is…
• OED Word of the Year expanded for ‘unprecedented’ 2020
• “前所未有的2020年”：牛津字典年度热词不止一个

by W. A. Hurwitz with no apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan

When I was a kid and went to school,
Arithmetic was only taught by rote and rule.
I did long division and I took cube root;
At the rule of three I was especially astute.
I was so astute at the rule of three
That now I am the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
He was so astute at the rule of three
That now he is the holder of the Ph.D.

In algebra, later, I learned nice words
Like TRANSPOSE, CANCEL, and REMOVE THE SURDS.
DIVIDE BOTH SIDES BY z OR y;
That either might be zero didn’t make me sigh.
I cared so little if zero was z
That now I am the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
He cared so little if zero was z
That now he is the holder of the Ph.D.

In geometry, too, I made such a mark
That my classmates called me a regular shark.
I memorized theorems through and through;
Originals I never was required to do.
Originals useless seemed to me
So now I am the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
Originals useless seemed to him
So now he is the holder of the Ph.D.

In college, of course, I played my part;
I majored in Math from the very start.
It didn’t much matter if I learned the stuff;
I only had to manage a successful bluff;
I managed to bluff so successfully
That now I am the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
He managed to bluff so successfully
That now he is the holder of the Ph.D.

The faculty said I was such a jerk,
I was obviously destined for graduate work.
They gave me a job so I could earn some pelf
By teaching younger morons who were like myself.
I taught those morons with such esprit
That now I am the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
He taught those morons with such esprit
That now he is the holder of the Ph.D.

My graduate work I took in stride;
If I couldn’t prove a theorem I just let it ride.
With grades of C I was quite content,
But now and then I made a B by accident.
So frequently by accident I made a B
That now I am the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
So frequently by accident he made a B
That now he is the holder of the Ph.D.

They had a silly rule that a thesis was required,
So I sought a kind professor whose assistance I desired.
He said, “Do this” and he said, “Do that”
And he had my thesis finished up in three months flat.
It wasn’t a brilliant thesis, but it didn’t have to be,
So now I am the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
It wasn’t a brilliant thesis, but it didn’t have to be,
So now he is the holder of the Ph.D.

I still had to take an oral exam;
My only preparation was to cram, cram, cram.
The profs all said I made a very poor show,
But I knew as much at present as I ever would know.
To get me off their hands, they gave me a degree,
So now I am the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
To get him off their hands, they gave him a degree,
So now he is the holder of the Ph.D.

Now math students all, both far and near,
If you want to seek an academic life career,
And you don’t want to teach in a secondary school,
Be guided by this golden rule:
Never try to show originality,
And you each may be the holder of the Ph.D.

Chorus:
Never try to show originality,
And you each may be the holder of the Ph.D.

Don’t buy their story. Ph.D. is good to seek job.

Elon Musk

A PhD is definitely not required. All that matters is a deep understanding of AI & ability to implement NNs in a way that is actually useful (latter point is what’s truly hard). Don’t care if you even graduated high school.

Freeman Dyson

Oh, yes. I’m very proud of not having a Ph.D. I think the Ph.D. system is an abomination. It was invented as a system for educating German professors in the 19th century, and it works well under those conditions. It’s good for a very small number of people who are going to spend their lives being professors. But it has become now a kind of union card that you have to have in order to have a job, whether it’s being a professor or other things, and it’s quite inappropriate for that. It forces people to waste years and years of their lives sort of pretending to do research for which they’re not at all well-suited. In the end, they have this piece of paper which says they’re qualified, but it really doesn’t mean anything. The Ph.D. takes far too long and discourages women from becoming scientists, which I consider a great tragedy. So I have opposed it all my life without any success at all.

I was lucky because I got educated in World War II and everything was screwed up so that I could get through without a Ph.D. and finish up as a professor. Now that’s quite impossible. So, I’m very proud that I don’t have a Ph.D. and I raised six children and none of them has a Ph.D., so that’s my contribution.

• “Ph.D.”
• At 90, Freeman Dyson Ponders His Next Challenge
• Do you agree with Elon Musk that doing Ph.D. would be a waste of time as you would just end up publishing few papers that no one will read?
• https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1224089444963311616
• Why doing a PhD is often a waste of time - The disposable academic
• The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.

Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time; but there is the broad feeling in our country that the people should rule, continuously rule, and that public opinion, expressed by all constitutional means, should shape, guide, and control the actions of Ministers who are their servants and not their masters.

I submit respectfully to the House as a general principle that our responsibility in this matter is directly proportionate to our power. Where there is great power there is great responsibility, where there is less power there is less responsibility, and where there is no power there can, I think, be no responsibility.

The price of greatness is responsibility.

The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.

To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often. (To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often.)

But now let me return to my theme of the many changes that have taken place since I was last here. There is a jocular saying: ‘To improve is to change; to be perfect is to have changed often.’ I had to use that once or twice in my long career.

It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations. Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations is an admirable work, and I studied it intently. The quotations when engraved upon the memory give you good thoughts. They also make you anxious to read the authors and look for more.

Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death.

We live in a country where the people own the Government and not in a country where the Government owns the people. Thought is free, speech is free, religion is free, no one can say that the Press is not free. In short, we live in a liberal society, the direct product of the great advances in human dignity, stature and well-being which will ever be the glory of the nineteenth century.

I never “worry” about action, but only about inaction.

I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government: ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.‘ We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.

We ask no favours of the enemy. We seek from them no compunction. On the contrary, if tonight the people of London were asked to cast their votes as to whether a convention should be entered into to stop the bombing of all cities, an overwhelming majority would cry, “No, we will mete out to the Germans the measure, and more than the measure, they have meted out to us.” {applause} The people of London with one voice would say to Hitler: “You have committed every crime under the sun. Where you have been the least resisted there you have been the most brutal. It was you who began the indiscriminate bombing. We remember Warsaw! In the first few days of the war. We remember Rotterdam. We have been newly reminded of your habits by the hideous massacre in Belgrade. We know too well the bestial assaults you’re making upon the Russian people, to whom our hearts go out in their valiant struggle! {cheers} We will have no truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will! You do your worst! — and we will do our best! {sustained cheering} Perhaps it may be our turn soon. Perhaps it may be our turn now.”

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.

Everyone can see how communism rots the soul of a nation. How it makes it abject in peace and proves it abominable in war.

Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy.

Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.

Broadly speaking, short words are best, and the old words, when short, are best of all.

Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught, but I shall not attempt to foreshadow the proposals which will be brought before the House tomorrow. Today it will be sufficient and appropriate to deal with the obvious difficulties and confusion of the situation as we found it on taking office.

• Wikiquote - Winston Churchill
• It’s believed Winston Churchill commanded a vocabulary more than twice the size of his peers.
• Winston Churchill was famous for his particularly large vocabulary. How many words did he use in his writing? a) 10,000 b) 60,000 c) 100,000 d) 120,000. Answer: b