" Isaiah Berlin, the Oxford philosopher, later observed that the Churchill of 1940 was neither 'a sensitive lens, which absorbs and concentrates and reflects . . . the sentiments of others,' nor a politician who played 'on public opinion like an instrument'. Instead, Berlin saw him as a leader who 'imposed his imagination and his will upon his countrymen,' idealizing them 'with such intensity that in the end they approached his ideal and began to see themselves as he saw them'. In doing so, he 'transformed cowards into brave men, and so fulfilled the purpose of shining armour. "

― William Manchester , The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-40