I have not yet begun to fight

Cultural  

1. Words attributed to the eighteenth-century naval hero John Paul Jones. He was doing battle with a British ship when his own ship was badly damaged, and the British commander called over to ask whether Jones had surrendered. He answered, “I have not yet begun to fight.” He and his crew then captured the British ship. His own ship later sank.

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Example Sentences

“I am never going to stop fighting. In fact, I have not yet begun to fight. They will have to kill me first.”

From Washington Times

One said “I have not yet begun to fight,” the other “We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”

From Washington Post

During a high-profile appearance Friday night at former President Donald Trump’s Doral golf club in Miami, he vowed, “I have not yet begun to fight.”

From Seattle Times

Resoundingly, John Paul Jones exclaimed, ‘Struck Sir? I have not yet begun to fight!’

From Fox News

It was Jones, a native of Scotland, who famously yelled in the midst of battle with a British warship whose captain demanded surrender: “I have not yet begun to fight!”

From Washington Post