I want to know the context of the following quote by Winston
Churchill:  "It is a great mistake to try to look too far ahead.  The
chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time."  Please
include the text from which the statement was taken and a
bibliographic reference.

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 13 Nov 2002 19:11 PST

Hello again Yaya2020,

I located the following speeches by Winston Churchill in the Google
cache. Although these speeches are not dated February 27, 1945, I read
through them hoping to find the quotation. Unfortunately the quotation
wasn’t there.

A House of Many Mansions 
Broadcast London, January 20, 1940
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/mansions.htm

Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat
First Speech to the House of Commons as Prime Minister, May 13, 1940
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/blood.htm

Be Ye Men of Valour
First Broadcast on BBC as Prime Minister; May 19, 1940
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/valour.htm

Their Finest Hour
House of Commons, June 18, 1940
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/finestc.htm

War of the Unknown Warriors
BBC Broadcast, London, July 14, 1940
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/warriorc.htm

"The Few"
House of Commons, August 20, 1940
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/fewc.htm

Neville Chamberlain
House of Commons, November 12, 1940
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/nevillc.htm

Never Give In, Never, Never, Never
Harrow School, October 29, 1941
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/never.htm

The Price of Greatness is Responsibility
Harvard, 1943
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/ffhprice.htm

The Invasion of France
House of Commons, June 6, 1944
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/france.htm

The End of the War in Europe
Broadcast, London, and House of Commons, May 8, 1945
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/endwar.htm

This is Your Victory
Ministry of Health, London, May 8, 1945
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/veday.htm

To V-E Day Crowds
London, May 8, 1945
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/veday.htm

Sinews of Peace (Iron Curtain)
Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&q=cache:http%3A//www.winstonchurchill.org/sinews.htm

Perhaps the speech we are looking for is not available online.

Best Regards,
Bobbie7-ga

Hello Yaya2020, 

I located two sources that refer to this quotation by Winston
Churchill to a speech in the House of Commons on Feb. 27, 1945.
 
J.E.H. Shaw (2001). Some Quotable Quotes for Statistics.

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of
destiny can be handled at a time.
Winston Spencer Churchill
Speech in House of Commons, 27–Feb–1945

Source: J.E.H. Shaw (2001). Some Quotable Quotes for Statistics.
Page 32 of this 142 page publication
http://www.warwick.ac.uk/statsdept/Staff/JEHS/data/jehsquot.pdf

At the Virginia Tech Website:

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of
destiny can be handled at a time.
Winston Churchill
Speech, House of Commons, February 27, 1945
http://www.cob.vt.edu/finance/faculty/dmc/Derivs/DrvQt/Qt10.htm

Considering that the above is correct, this quotation would be in the
following publication.
 
Title:  INTERNATIONAL CONCILIATION JOURNAL 
Price (USD): $250.00
Category:  Pamphlets 
Author:  Churchill, Winston S. 
Publisher:  Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 
Edition:  1st Thus 
Size:  5 x 8 inches 
Place Published:  NY 
Year:  April 1945 
Description:  Contains: CRIMEA CONFERENCE: Report To The House of
Commons by Prime Minister Winston Churchill (February 27, 1945).
In very good condition and not in Woods.  
http://www.churchill-books.com/detail.cfm?item_num=9724

According to an editorial published in the Welsh Highland Railway
Journal:

“Churchill was asked for a detailed long term plan for the war, but he
said 'It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the
chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”
http://www.whr.co.uk/enthus/journal/125/ed.html

Search Criteria:

Winston Churchill chain of destiny speech
"link in the chain" Churchill

If this information meets your needs, please let me know in order to
post it as an official answer.

Thanks.
--Bobbie7-ga

to bobbie7-ga,
Thanks for your comment.  I was hoping for the text of the speech.  If
you can provide that, I will post your comment as an answer.