Margaret Thatcher

"The greatest threat to peace is the weakness of a man."

"I owe nothing to Women's Lib."

"In my lifetime all our problems have come from mainland Europe and all the solutions have come from the English-speaking peoples."

"One's life is more private than in any other age. It's kept secret from the state."

"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."

"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."

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

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

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."

"Consensus is the absence of leadership."

"I stand by everything I have ever said, but I have said many things."

"Do you know that one out of every five people in the world is Chinese? And there are five of us in this room here. So statistically, one of us must be Chinese."

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

"To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and convictions."

"I have nothing to fear but fear itself... and the people who work for me."

"The lady's not for turning."

"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."

"I always worked on the assumption that you are not going to win every point."

"I am in my element when my life is in danger."

"The desire to win is born in very few people. It has to be ironed into them."

"I like the beauty of the English language."

"One's life is more private than in any previous age. It's kept secret from the state."

"Each generation has to fight the same battles again and again."

"The duty of government is to uphold the rule of law."

"It pays to know the enemy—not least because at some time you may have the chance to turn him into a friend."

"The task ahead of us now is to refocus our efforts on the great traditions we share."

"I wasn't lucky. I deserved it."

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything."

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."