Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, when asked the best test of a great general.—Sir William Fraser, Words on Wellington, p. 37 (1889).
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To know when to retreat; and to dare to do it.

— Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington on Military

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "To know when to retreat; and to dare to do it." in the context of "Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, when asked the best test of a great general.—Sir William Fraser, Words on Wellington, p. 37 (1889)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Military" (W) 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.