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"The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton."

— Misquotations

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026

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Original Language: English

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While often attributed to the Duke of Wellington on a visit to his alma mater later in life, historians consider it unlikely that he said. It was only first said to have been said by him four decades after the battle, after he had died; in addition he had not spent much time at Eton and did not recall those years fondly. Biographers familiar with his style of speaking also consider it doubtful that, had he expressed a sentiment like that, he would have expressed it that way.

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Misquotations

While often attributed to the Duke of Wellington on a visit to his alma mater later in life, historians consider it unlikely that he said. It was only first said to have been said by him four decades after the battle, after he had died; in addition he had not spent much time at Eton and did not recall those years fondly. Biographers familiar with his style of speaking also consider it doubtful that, had he expressed a sentiment like that, he would have expressed it that way.