What did Georges Clemenceau mean by fighting until the last quarter hour?

When Georges Clemenceau declared that he would wage war "to the last quarter hour, for the last quarter hour will be ours," he was expressing his unwavering resolve to achieve victory in World War I regardless of the duration or severity of the conflict.1

As prime minister and minister of war, Clemenceau was committed to maintaining an indomitable "will to victory" among the French people, even during the darkest moments of the war, such as the military disasters of May 1918. By emphasizing the "last quarter hour," he meant that France would continue to fight with total dedication until the very end, firmly believing that the final moments of the struggle would ultimately result in an Allied triumph. This statement served as a rallying cry against defeatism and pacifism, reinforcing his single-minded focus on winning the war.1