Politics are almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times.

Churchill’s quip treats political life as a form of combat: thrilling, high-stakes, and capable of inflicting real harm. The punch line hinges on the difference between physical death and the repeated “deaths” of public life—defeats, humiliations, betrayals, loss of office, and reputational damage that can recur again and again. It also reflects a veteran politician’s realism about the relentlessness of parliamentary struggle, where opponents can wound you repeatedly through votes, press attacks, and shifting alliances. The line’s dark humor underscores that political consequences may be less final than war’s, but can be endured repeatedly and can feel just as perilous to one’s career and legacy.