Memorable Thatcherisms

"No woman in my time will be Prime Minister or Chancellor or Foreign Secretary – not the top jobs. Anyway I wouldn't want to be Prime Minister. You have to give yourself 100 per cent"
– 26 October 1969, on becoming Tory education spokesman

Internal links

Poor health forces Thatcher to quit public life

Exit right: a great talker whose voice still echoed round the world stage

Flirtatious, intimidating and adored

Family pressed her to slow down

Memorable Thatcherisms

Leading article: The deafening sound of silence from the back seat

"No woman in my time will be Prime Minister or Chancellor or Foreign Secretary – not the top jobs. Anyway I wouldn't want to be Prime Minister. You have to give yourself 100 per cent"
– 26 October 1969, on becoming Tory education spokesman

"I stand before you tonight in my green chiffon evening gown, my face softly made-up, my fair hair gently waved. The Iron Lady of the Western World? Me? A Cold War warrior?"
– 31 January 1976, speech in Finchley, after the Soviet magazine 'Red Star' first called her the Iron Lady

"Where there is discord, may we bring harmony, where there is despair, may we bring hope"
– 3 May 1979, quoting St Francis of Assisi after her election

"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"
– 10 October 1980, speech at Conservative Party conference in Brighton

"Just rejoice at the news and congratulate our armed forces and the marines. Rejoice!"
– 25 April 1982, recapture of South Georgia in Falklands conflict

"I was asked whether I was trying to restore Victorian values. I said straight out I was. And I am"
– 21 July 1983, in talk to British Jewish community

"In the Falklands, we had to fight the enemy without. Here, the enemy is within and it is much more difficult to fight, but just as dangerous to liberty"
– July 1984, on striking miners

"There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families"
– 31 October 1987, interview in 'Woman's Own'

"I shan't be pulling the levers but I shall be a very good back-seat driver"
– 27 November 1990, on John Major's victory

"Every Prime Minister needs a Willie"
– 7 August 1991, at a dinner for William Whitelaw

"I'm worried about that young man, he's getting awfully bossy"
– 6 February 1999, on Tony Blair