34 Margaret Thatcher Quotes on Leadership

Margaret Thatcher quotes on leadership

2. I don't think there will be a woman Prime Minister in my lifetime.

3. I wish I could say that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had done himself less than justice. Unfortunately, I can only say that I believe he has done himself justice. Some Chancellors are macro-economic. Other Chancellors are fiscal. This one is just plain cheap.

7. My job is to stop Britain going red.

10. I can't bear Britain in decline. I just can't.

17. To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: You turn if you want to. [laughter] The lady's not for turning.

21. Defeat-I do not recognise the meaning of the word!

22. The right hon. Gentleman is afraid of an election is he? Oh, if I were going to cut and run I'd have gone after the Falklands. Afraid? Frightened? Frit? Couldn't take it? Couldn't stand it? Right now inflation is lower than it has been for thirteen years, a record the right hon. Gentleman couldn't begin to touch!

28. I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together.

36. (The Community Charge is) the flagship of the Thatcher fleet.

49. I am still at the crease, though the bowling has been pretty hostile of late. And in case anyone doubted it, can I assure you there will be no ducking the bouncers, no stonewalling, no playing for time. The bowling's going to get hit all round the ground. That is my style.

52. Margaret Thatcher: ...The first eleven and a half years have not been so bad-and with regard to a twilight, please remember that there are 24 hours in a day.

54. The trouble with you John, is that your spine does not reach your brain.

57. Douglas, Douglas, you would make Neville Chamberlain look like a warmonger.

62. I might have preferred iron, but bronze will do. It won't rust. And, this time I hope, the head will stay on.

66. For my part, I favour an approach to statecraft that embraces principles, as long as it is not stifled by them; and I prefer such principles to be accompanied by steel along with good intentions.

67. We now know that bin Laden's terrorists had been planning their outrages for years. The propagation of their mad, bad ideology -- decency forbids calling it a religion -- had been taking place before our eyes. We were just too blind to see it. In short, the world had never ceased to be dangerous. But the West had ceased to be vigilant. Surely that is the most important lesson of this tragedy, and we must learn it if our civilisation is to survive.

75. It is always important in matters of high politics to know what you do not know. Those who think they know, but are mistaken, and act upon their mistakes, are the most dangerous people to have in charge.

86. Every Prime Minister needs a Willie.

88. If my critics saw me walking over the Thames they would say it was because I couldn't swim.

89. If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.

91. It may be the cock that crows, but it is the hen that lays the eggs.

97. People think that at the top there isn't much room. They tend to think of it as an Everest. My message is that there is tons of room at the top.

99. 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. If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.

100. To wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best.

102. When you've spent half your political life dealing with humdrum issues like the environment, it's exciting to have a real crisis on your hands. (On the Falklands conflict.)

103. You don't tell deliberate lies, but sometimes you have to be evasive.

106. She was a tigress surrounded by hamsters.

107. The Prime Ministers who are remembered are those who think and teach, and not many do. Mrs. Thatcher... influenced the thinking of a generation.

108. Her strong points were her iron will. I've never known a will like it in politics and I've known a few politicians in my time in various countries. I've never known a man or woman faintly like her, she was as tough as they come, and anything that required guts and will she could do for you. Anything that required sensitivity, she couldn't, she had none.

109. The Prime Minister, shortly after she came into office, received the sobriquet as the 'Iron Lady'. It arose in the context of remarks which she made about defence against the Soviet Union and its allies; but there was no reason to suppose that the right hon. Lady did not welcome and, indeed, take pride in that description. In the next week or two in this House, the nation and the right hon. Lady herself will learn of what metal she is made.

115. Margaret Thatcher always gave me headaches.

117. A pity she did not understand them!

119. For us she is not the iron lady. She is the kind, dear Mrs. Thatcher.

     Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

120. Don't think of her as a politician. Think of her as a one-woman revolution - a hurricane in human form.