“And I, sir, also have very good reason to be dissatisfied with you.”
His interests were unfashionable. At the time, the ideal subjects for aristocratic students were theology, law, and the military. Churchill was poor at Latin and couldn't read the classics in their original language, so he had no choice but to study military affairs. He transferred to the military class, which his classmates mocked as “a paradise for idiots.” Recalling his school days, Churchill said, “That was the only period of my life that was entirely devoid of meaning and pleasure... Life was nothing but discomfort, restrictions, and monotonous aimlessness.”
Later, he sat the entrance exam for the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and failed twice. He had to live with a French family to improve his French, and attend an intensive military entrance-exam course run by a captain. By the time he was accepted, his grades were barely passing. His father was
