Margaret Thatcher

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman."

"I like to think that the future of the world is not determined solely by large institutions or movements but by the convictions of individuals."

"The key to a successful life is not just what you do but why you do it."

"Civilization depends on what we inherit, what we achieve, and what we leave."

"I stand before you tonight in my red dress, while the Chancellor of the Exchequer opens his despatch box with all the importance of a man who brings good news."

"The problem with consensus is that you feel nothing very strongly."

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your destiny."

"I have always had to earn whatever I have got. I had to earn a living and I came into politics to serve."

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman."

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

"The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us."

"Democracy means that if the doorbell rings in the early hours, it is likely to be the milkman."

"One's life is more important than one's principles."

"What great cause would some of us not die for?"

"I believe our country is a fundamental force for good in the world, and that we have a duty to maintain our strength so we can help preserve freedom and justice."

"The real problem with the unemployed is not that they are unemployed, it is that they are not being used."

"The fact is that a man who has to be convinced to vote for you is a man who hasn't really accepted your message."

"If you lead a country, you must treat it as a business that needs to make a profit."

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end."

"Do you know that one day this will all be yours? - when referring to the future of Britain."

"I love argument. I want people around me who will argue."

"The lady's not for turning, and neither is Britain's resolve."

"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."

"The spirit of envy can destroy; it cannot build."

"One cannot fashion a new world order under the guidance of infallible prophets."

"We must be careful not to give high marks for conduct to the people who simply established themselves in power and created a policy of maintaining the status quo."

"I love the British people dearly, and I think they are the best in the world."

"There is no such thing as society; there are individual men and women, and there are families."

"I just owe almost everything to my father."

"The man who enters his wife's dressing room is either a philosopher or a fool."