7 memorable Margaret Thatcher quotes
Seven quotes from Margaret Thatcher, whose bluntness, strong character, sharpness and sternness helped characterize Britain's former prime minister, who died today at age 87, as the Iron Lady.
Blunt, sharp, stern: the United Kingdom's Iron Lady speaking
Margaret Thatcher's bluntness, strong character, sharpness and sternness were reflected in the words that helped earn her the nickname the Iron Lady, and many quotes from Britain's radical former prime minister, who died today at age 87, will go down in history.
Here are just a few of them.
- "If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman." 1965 speech
- "Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope." May 4, 1979, after becoming PM
- "Pennies don’t fall from heaven — they have to be earned here on Earth." November 1979 at a banquet
- "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. The lady’s not for turning." October 1980, Conservative Party conference
- "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." September 1981 interview
- "Defeat? I do not recognize the meaning of the word." April 1982, start of the Falklands War
- "I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." April 4, 1989, in the Observer