The end of the beginning (2025)

Hi,

I am having problem understanding the statement : The end of the beginning. This statement was originally made by Winston Churchill.

Another example:
It's

of the recession, not

Thanks.

I think it depends. If you think the worst of the recession will occur in the middle of it, it's not optimistic. It only means that it has moved out of the beginning and into the middle, which could be worse than the beginning.

[edit] An example came to me:

If someone were to say to me "This is not the beginning of the end of the hurricane; it's the end of the beginning." I would not take that as a hopeful comment. To me it would mean roughly the same as "The worst is yet to come".

JamesM said:

I think it depends. If you think the worst of the recession will occur in the middle of it, it's not optimistic. It only means that it has moved out of the beginning and into the middle, which could be worse than the beginning.

[edit] An example came to me:

If someone were to say to me "This is not the beginning of the end of the hurricane; it's the end of the beginning." I would not take that as a hopeful comment.

Click to expand...

You're right. I am not as familiar with the historical context as I should be. Now that I think about it, it does sound more like "things will get worse before they get better." "Cautiously optimistic" was probably a poor choice of words, but I meant to convey that things are at least moving along. Even in the hurricane example, there's a comfort in knowing that it's moving and will eventually pass.

I agree with most of the above statements. I'd also add that I wouldn't try to read to much in to exactly what Churchill meant here. I think it's meant to be just a jokey comment built on the well-known phrase "it's the beginning of the end".

My impression is that someone has said "it's the beginning of the end" (ie the end of our problems is almost here) and Churchill is using a verbally clever way of saying this isn't true. I don't think he's really commenting on anything more specific relating to exactly where we are in the cycle than saying "we're not any where near the end yet".

"The End of the Beginning" "The Germans have received back again that measure of fire and steel which they have so often meted out to others. Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

—Lord Mayor's Luncheon, Mansion House following the victory at El Alameinin North Africa, London, 10 November 1942.

A deadly serious joke perhaps.

GF..

It took less time to get to VE day in May 1945 from the end of the beginning....... Now that was a begin 3 years 2 months of it. But that depends on how one views when the war started.....

"The End of the Beginning" "The Germans have received back again that measure of fire and steel which they have so often meted out to others. Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

—Lord Mayor's Luncheon, Mansion House following the victory at El Alameinin North Africa, London, 10 November 1942.

A deadly serious joke perhaps.

GF..

It took less time to get to VE day in May 1945 from the end of the beginning....... Now that was a begin 3 years 2 months of it. But that depends on how one views when the war started.....

You've got to remember that Churchill's remarks were propaganda intended to revive the spirits of the English who had taken a horrific pounding from the skies.

He did not want to sound overly optimistic, but he wanted to convey "the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel" for the listening public in a new and typically Churchill way.

I think it was probably an effective bit of propaganda.