Winston Churchill's quote was based on the Dunkirk evacuations. The Dunkirk evacuation was the evacuation of allied soldiers and from the harbour Dunkirk, France. The quote refers to the strength of French, Britain, and Belgium troops and when they were surrounded in Dunkirk on the beaches. If the men were to fight their way out, it would have a been a gruesome battle, killing many of their men. So instead they evacuated. Churchill believed that if the evacuated constantly were to happen it would only extend the war. When he said this quote to civilians, he also said that evacuating may have seemed like a good idea it was not. Having done this plan may have saved lives but did not allow their country to succeed in their goal of winning the war.