Top 25 Quotes of Margaret Thatcher
Published on December 21, 2007 - 49 Comments
When Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, Britain was a dump, “the sick man of Europe” and on the brink of total economic collapse. When she left power in 1990, it was the one of the financial capitals of the world. She is associated her political philosophy of Thatcherism, based on low taxation, low public spending, free markets and mass privatisation. I personally love Margaret Thatcher for her honesty, bluntness, strength of character and her radicalism. Many others hate her though, mainly on the left of politics who believed that she destroyed workers rights and slashed public spending. During her tenure she had to deal with mass unemployment, out of control inflation, endless strikes, a war with the Falklands, and an attempted assassination by the IRA. In February 2007, she became the first British Prime Minister to be honoured with a statue in the House of Commons while still alive; a testament to her incredible legacy.
Quotes 1 - 5
1. Pennies don’t fall from heaven - they have to be earned here on earth.
2. No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions; he had money as well.
3. Economics are the method; the object is to change the heart and soul.
4. My policies are based not on some economics theory, but on things I and millions like me were brought up with: an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay; live within your means; put by a nest egg for a rainy day; pay your bills on time; support the police.
5. Defeat? I do not recognise the meaning of the word.
Quotes 6 - 10
6. I personally have always voted for the death penalty because I believe that people who go out prepared to take the lives of other people forfeit their own right to live. I believe that that death penalty should be used only very rarely, but I believe that no-one should go out certain that no matter how cruel, how vicious, how hideous their murder, they themselves will not suffer the death penalty.
7. Socialists cry “Power to the people”, and raise the clenched fist as they say it. We all know what they really mean—power over people, power to the State.
8. There’s no such thing as society.
9. A man may climb Everest for himself, but at the summit he plants his country’s flag.
10. (to Conservative backbench MP John Whittingdale) The trouble with you John, is that your spine does not reach your brain.
Quotes 11 - 15
11. For every idealistic peacemaker willing to renounce his self-defence in favour of a weapons-free world, there is at least one warmaker anxious to exploit the other’s good intentions.
12. Constitutions have to be written on hearts, not just paper.
13. If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.
14. To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects.
15. To wear your heart on your sleeve isn’t a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best.
Quotes 16 - 20
16. Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.
17. I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.
18. If you want to cut your own throat, don’t come to me for a bandage.
19. There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty.
20. I usually make up my mind about a man in ten seconds, and I very rarely change it.
Quotes 21 - 25
21. It pays to know the enemy - not least because at some time you may have the opportunity to turn him into a friend.
22. It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake.
23. I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.
24. Popular capitalism is nothing less than a crusade to enfranchise the many in the economic life of the nation.
25. Imagine a Labour canvasser talking on the doorstep to those East German families when they settle in on freedom’s side of the wall. “You want to keep more of the money you earn? I’m afraid that’s very selfish. We shall want to tax that away. You want to own shares in your firm? We can’t have that. The state has to own your firm. You want to choose where to send your children to school? That’s very divisive. You’ll send your child where we tell you.”
Bonus: I don’t think there will be a woman Prime Minister in my lifetime. – BBC interview, 1973
Contributor: JT
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1. Mom424 - December 21st, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Margaret Thatcher is wonderful,it gave me a good idea for a list,,,Best 10 politicians this century,,,
i nominate Margaret Thatcher, Harry Truman, maybe Lester Pearson, Golda Meir,,,,note not necessarily the most popular or successful, just best. ie; honest, forthright, principled, decisive.(I think i remember reading that pearson was a bit of a snake) so maybe not him…
ps:
Jfrater; glad you survived your 30 plus hours of air travel, great list, and have a very merry christmas
2. loseitbonkers - December 21st, 2007 at 8:23 pm
sounds like a bitch to me.
3. Philip - December 21st, 2007 at 8:40 pm
I think Margaret Thatcher is one of the most incredible leaders - man or woman - who ever lived.
4. Michael - December 22nd, 2007 at 12:06 am
Anyone else notice that #10 and #23 are completely conflicting?
5. el duderino - December 22nd, 2007 at 12:38 am
If you live in a free and prosperous society chances are you have Maggie Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Karol Wojtyla to thank for it, at least in part.
6. jesse - December 22nd, 2007 at 1:09 am
dumb
7. malena992 - December 22nd, 2007 at 1:12 am
I had heard of her before but I’d never really known what she stood for. I’ll be doing some research for sure. She seems to be exactly what philip said above, an incredible leader.
I mean, most of the quotes are absolutely brilliant, they show how clearly she stated and fulfilled her own position, how she was very aware of what happened around her, capable to cope with anything and never giving up. Great.
8. malena992 - December 22nd, 2007 at 1:17 am
huh,yeah 10 and 23 show she ran out of political arguments too from time to time, I guess. the context of quote 10 is really important though
9. sdggrant - December 22nd, 2007 at 1:56 am
Great comment, Jesse…
I think Thatcher was the right person for the job at the time. If circumstances at the time of her election were different though, I doubt she would be as popular as she is today. Some good quotes here none the less. I’ve always wondered though, how many quotes from famous politicans are acatually theirs. Most politicians have writers behind the scenes, in fact, I’d wager that MOST do.
10. kiwiboi - December 22nd, 2007 at 2:34 am
I’m surprised that one of her more famous utterances wasn’t on the list. Referring to Lord William (Willie) Whitelaw, who was Thatcher’s Deputy Prime Minister and, later, Leader of the Lords, Thatcher famously said :
“every Prime Minister needs a Willie”
I guess some people outside of the UK might not get this one - “willie” is common slang, especially amongst children, for a penis.
11. kikiam - December 22nd, 2007 at 4:18 am
righteous….d’uh…d’uh….
12. JMurf - December 22nd, 2007 at 4:57 am
I personally hate her because I’m Irish and she hated the Irish even before the assassination attempt. Probably the reason the IRA targeted her.
13. Mikerodz - December 22nd, 2007 at 5:07 am
Basing on above qouts, I found her a bit sexist. It sound to me that it was her choice to be born a woman
el duderino: I hope I can agree with you.
14. Mikerodz - December 22nd, 2007 at 5:10 am
I mean “qoutes’
15. Genericpawel - December 22nd, 2007 at 7:24 am
I will be one of the first to say…. maggie was a twat
16. Hitesh - December 22nd, 2007 at 8:12 am
Poll tax, unemployment & council housing. Maggie Thatcher was a chav breeder.
Nuff said.
17. goatmissile - December 22nd, 2007 at 9:16 am
Incredible leader? Ludicrous. Margaret Thatcher Milk Snatcher was a bit much. Next we’ll have that brow-by-dint-of-electrolysis asshole Reagan’s quotes to savor, and you chowderheads can fellate each other over those. Lemme give you neophytes a hint; anytime someone is talking out the side of their neck about God, Country, Hard Work, etc., they are raping the exchequer. Just so you get your history right, remember that Thatcher was boning Reagan with a giant dildo while Nancy was across town blowing Sinatra. That was Ronnie’s special English treat for declaring Ketchup a vegetable for school lunches. And the ad hominem has its place. If you don’t agree, then I suggest you devote your life to teaching civics to psychopaths. Merry Christmas.
18. nelia - December 22nd, 2007 at 9:54 am
Thatcher was good for england in a lot of ways, but she made an EVEN BIGGER mess of Ireland, which was quite an accomplishment. Her take no prisoners attitude was completely the wrong way to go about things. But she didn’t care if she made the situation in Ireland worse because she considered them an inferior race. charming.
19. SubliminalDeath666 - December 22nd, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Another quotes list!? This is getting very repetitive and annoying.
20. Kelsi - December 22nd, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Wow, um, she seems a bit…unpopular? With the readers, but JT I very very much enjoyed reading these quotes and there were several that I liked a lot. Thank you for this excellent list. =)
21. Cyn - December 22nd, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Sub- you’re welcome to submit a list for consideration of publication more to your liking.
or you can always check out the archives.
22. dangorironhide - December 22nd, 2007 at 1:17 pm
The best ‘Thatcher’ quote i know is:
Waitress: “What about the vegetables?”
Thatcher: (about the cabinet members)”Oh, they’ll have the same.”
Ok, now genuine Thatcher, but still great!
23. sdggrant - December 22nd, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Kelsi, every politician has it’s haters. Some for good reason, some for not, but none the less, they’re there.
24. Ginger Lee - December 23rd, 2007 at 4:54 am
Not a Thatcher fan because I am definitely *not* a Reagan fan. What they did to the middle class in their countries is unforgivable. BUT I do admire the barrier she broke, she did a lot by breaking the “concrete ceiling” of politics much like Nancy Pelosi has done becoming Speaker of the House and Hillary Clinton is doing in the Democratic race. Politics aside, Hillary is breaking down barriers that need to be torn down. Now lets hope a woman from the Labour Party wins PM after Gordon Brown is done cleaning up Blair’s foreign mess, after all remember #13 on this list.
Ok, done ranting about the neo-con loons of the 80’s which I am a product of.
25. rhyno - December 23rd, 2007 at 10:05 am
It really bothers me when people say things like “dumb” and “sounds like a bitch to me”. They are the most unintelligent responses, and show nothing but complete ignorance.
Yes Margaret Thatcher may have done some bad things in her time, but they are far outweighed by the great things she did saving Britain from ruin. No one can argue against that.
I think she was a fantastic leader and I like her even more after reading this list.
Hitesh - you certainly need to go and do some research. Then you will realise just how embarrassing your comment is. Thatcher sold council housing off to the people who lived in them, and at a price they could afford. I work with several people who benefited from that deal, and they couldn’t thank her more. They now own their own homes (homes better than the ones they originally bought) which is something they could never have afforded if it wasn’t for her. And no, they are not chavs.
26. loseitbonkers - December 23rd, 2007 at 5:01 pm
yah, i am pretty ignorant of what margaret thatcher did during her career.
but i’m referring to her quotations.
just like the things mr. bush says make him sound uneducated, these quotations make margaret thatcher sound like a narcissistic feminist bitch.
hopefully, she’s not.
27. dave4248 - December 24th, 2007 at 4:05 am
These are all brilliant,….except #13. But she was a genius, so I’ll give her a pass on that one.
28. sdggrant - December 24th, 2007 at 4:39 am
I agree Ginger Lee, I think it would be a good thing to have a woman as president. One that same note, I do not think that Hillary should be that woman.
29. Rebecca - December 24th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Margaret Thatcher, while admirable as all powerful woman in politics are, has the blood of the Northern Ireland hunger strikers on her hands.
30. Rob - December 25th, 2007 at 4:58 am
I am from a town in England near Sheffield called Doncaster, My dad was a miner at cortonwood colliery which was one of the first pits to go on strike. If you really believe she was a ‘genius’ come to my town, or any town in South Yorkshire and you’ll see a place which has never recovered from the strikes of 1984. She destroyed so many lives with her hatred of unions and the working classes. So please, don’t comment on something that you didn’t have to live through first hand. merry christmass tho ay.
31. gilles - December 26th, 2007 at 3:56 am
Ahh the good friend of dictator Pinochet… Quite a remarquable woman!
32. kiwiboi - December 26th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Rebecca - “Margaret Thatcher…has the blood of the Northern Ireland hunger strikers on her hands.”
Really ? Oh..you must mean the (largely) IRA terrorists who - incidentally - chose to adopt the tactics of hunger striking voluntarily.
33. eva - December 28th, 2007 at 9:17 am
Kiwiboi– Don’t refer to the things you don’t know about. She let political prisoners whose rights had been violated die in nonviolent protest. And yeah…talk big about ira terrorists. The British government’s done worse.
34. kiwiboi - December 28th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
eva : Political prisoners my arse !
Let me treat you to a bonus Thatcher quote : “Crime is crime is crime, it is not political”
Of the 10 hunger strikers who died (Bobby Sands included) in 1981, 1 was a murderer, 1 was doing time for manslaughter, 2 for attempted murder, and the other 6 on weapons and/or explosives charges.
They chose to end their lives…which is more of a choice than they afforded the innocent civilians they slaughtered during their bombing campaigns in Nthn Ireland and in England.
And don’t condescend to tell me I don’t know what I am talking about. I’m of Irish descent and my grandfather was a Republican. Not to mention..I lived and worked in London during the 1990’s bombing campaigns.
Finally, re your comments about British Government - I am not so naive to think or suggest that they are an innocent party in all of this.
So…what is your background/claim to superior knowledge of these matters ?
35. Me - December 31st, 2007 at 11:56 am
“If we went on a we are, then by the end of the century there would be 4 million people of the new commonwealth or Pakistan here…people are really rather afraid that this country might be swamped by people of a different culture” … Um so what? Got her sums a bit wrong, still sound like such a fantastic person?
36. eva - January 1st, 2008 at 9:25 am
Well, kiwiboi, I’m very sorry. I’m of Irish descent, too. And the Irish temper is a real thing. I got a little ticked off. I didn’t realize you were of Irish descent and all that…you do know what you’re talking about! Even if I might disagree. My bad! Sorry to have been snotty!
And yes…they did do crimes, but you can’t deny a certain political element to their imprisonment. I believe what they were hunger striking for was to regain their status as political prisoners. I just think that Thatcher made a mistake on that one. Hey, you can’t expect me to love her…
37. kiwiboi - January 1st, 2008 at 11:37 am
eva - no biggie
You are one of countless people (Irish and non-Irish alike) to whom Thatcher remains a she-devil. And whilst I may not agree with this view, I can certainly appreciate the rationale for it.
Thanks for your civil response. I apologise also for the brusque tone of my earlier message.
38. jon smith - January 1st, 2008 at 3:53 pm
she is possibly the worst leader ever
39. Clarkekentyboy - January 3rd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Quotes are one thing. The systematic destruction of the working class and a meaningless war are an other.
40. Hayzeus - January 4th, 2008 at 2:39 am
This site has raging hard-on for Thatcher. Aside from the meaningless milestone of a female PM, she did little to improve my country’s lot. The rich got richer and the job market evapourated. The Falklands was a convenient public distraction, the privatisations sent the service quality of said instituions right down the crapper, lowed the rates for the UPPER tax brackets, and had a vendetta against the unions which destroyed entire communities unnessecarily.
Not to mention she had a cabinet full of utter bastards such as Tebbit, the POLL TAx RIOTS, and the Yuppie culture she engendered.
Just talk to the average Brit who lived through her rule- she’s villified for a reason.. Left and Right has nothing to do with it- she was an bitch who put the economy before the people. Britain was a dump before she came in and dump when she left. On the plus she did destroy her own party’s political integrity. But that gave us ten years of Blair too….
41. JT - January 13th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Haha, Hayzeus you can’t be serious.
The job market evaporated? No, it just transformed into the service sector, which is much much better in terms of job oportunities and prospects than the old manufacturing sector. The Falklands a convenient public distraction? OK, lets lets our people be taken over by some militant Argentinians, great leadership there! Now, you say the privatisations sent the quality of said institutions down the crapper? How can you type that with a straight face. Are you saying that nationalised industries are better than privatised ones? That the NHS and state schools are better than their private counterparts? British Airways went from an inefficient, loss making airline, into one of the world’s prmier airways. Before its privatisation, it took sometimes months to get a phone from BT, after you could get one the very next day. By introducing incentivisation into industries, she made them actually, um, you know WORK, which was the main reason Britian was languishing in economic hell prior to her election. Not to mention that it was so popular that the companies made their money back in just 24hrs through the public buying shares. She lowered the tax rates for everyone, and rightly so, as there was no reason to give away any more money to the monolotihic state as before. And before she came to power, the highest tax bracket was 95% (brilliantly summed up in The Beatles’ song Taxman) which was completely unfair. And she didn’t have a ‘vendetta’ against unions as you put it, but they were totally destroying Britain and enjoying every minute of it. Someone had to stand up to them instead of meekly placating them as they had done before. Not sure what your hatred against Tebbit is, the poll tax was of course a mistake (though great in theory) and led to her downfall, and I’m not sure what’s wrong with yuppies, Thatcher hated them too, but it was simply a consequence of freeing the economy from the chains of the state.
And no the avergae Brit who lived through her rule does NOT hate her. Just those in Northern industrial towns (understandibly), and even a Northern socialist like Gordon Brown acknowledges her brilliance, and he even wrote a book called ‘How Margaret Thatcher destroyed England’ in 1991, or something to that effect. Not a bitch at all. A wonderful woman, who realised that the only way to save Britain was to put the economy first and create a stable, prosperous infastructure from which to gradually improve that living standars of people, and by 1990 she had. To say that Britian was as worse in 1990 as it was in 1979 is laughable frankly, and I can’t see how you can honestly believe that.
42. Anthony Boutall - February 27th, 2008 at 10:09 am
“She let political prisoners whose rights had been violated die in nonviolent protest.”
These were not political prisoners, and she gave them every right to eat food - it was they who chose to refuse. Do you plan on choosing public policy, whether foreign or domestic, on the basis of giving in to people who are simply choosing not to eat? What should she have done: allowed anyone irrational enough to starve themselves to death to dictate British legislation? She laid the groundwork for peace in NI by signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
43. boomshine87 - February 29th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Margaret Thatcher is about the only person who makes me feel proud to be English (also Winstone churchill) - I just wish I was born when she was in power or that Labour hadn’t cocked everything up that she worked hard for!
44. Sam - March 17th, 2008 at 5:12 am
Makes me feel sad that our our Yankee answer to Thatcher is that black-hearted, soulless, acid-tongued, wooden harpy come this November.
45. Bez - April 19th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
A great orator. But then, so was Hitler.