Phrase said to have first been used by Wellington, as quoted in notes for 18 September 1836
• I hope you will not think I am deficient in feeling toward you, or that I am wanting in desire to serve you, because the results of my attempts have failed, owing to circumstances over which I have no control.
• As quoted in The Life and Letters of Lady Hester Stanhope (1914) edited by Catherine Lucy Wilhelmina Powlett, Duchess of Cleveland
• I hope you will not think I am deficient in feeling toward you, or that I am wanting in desire to serve you, because the results of my attempts have failed, owing to circumstances over which I have no control.
• As quoted in The Life and Letters of Lady Hester Stanhope (1914) edited by Catherine Lucy Wilhelmina Powlett, Duchess of Cleveland
“
Circumstances over which I have no control.
— Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Circumstances over which I have no control." in the context of "Phrase said to have first been used by Wellington, as quoted in notes for 18 September 1836
• I hope you will not think I am deficient in feeling toward you, or that I am wanting in desire to serve you, because the results of my attempts have failed, owing to circumstances over which I have no control.
• As quoted in The Life and Letters of Lady Hester Stanhope (1914) edited by Catherine Lucy Wilhelmina Powlett, Duchess of Cleveland" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington" (Quotes, Notes of Conversations with the Duke of Wellington (1886): Quotes of Wellington from Notes of Conversations with the Duke of Wellington (1886) by Philip Henry Stanhope)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British soldier and statesman. Rising to prominence during the Peninsular War, he became a national hero in Britain after the Napoleonic Wars during which he led the victorious Anglo-Allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo. He later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two separate occasions.
About Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British soldier and statesman. Rising to prominence during the Peninsular War, he became a national hero in Britain after the Napoleonic Wars during which he led the victorious Anglo-Allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo. He later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two separate occasions.
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