Margaret Thatcher Quotes

I don't think I'll ever be president of anything.

Certainly I shall not be one of those who, having gained power, do not wish to use it.

Leadership is important in politics.

Taking power is fine. But what do you do when you are in power?

Every decision that affects our lives will be made by the person who has the power to make that decision, not the 'right' person or the 'smartest' person or the 'best' person. Make peace with this fact.

The ruling power is always faced with the question, ‘In such and such circumstances, what would you do?’, whereas the opposition is not obliged to take responsibility or make any real decisions.

By the time you become the leader of a country, someone else makes all the decisions.

It takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over other people's lives.

In politics, as in business, leadership is crucial.

Governance is a way of organizing, amplifying, and constraining power.

At Athens, wise men propose, and fools dispose.

You know, one of the things I think you understand as president is you're held responsible for everything, but you don't always have control of everything, right?

Leaders are responsible not for running public opinion polls but for the consequences of their actions.

I wanted the influence. In the end I wasn't very good at being a president. I looked out of the window and thought that the man cutting the lawn actually seemed to have more control over what he was doing.

Being president is like running a cemetery: you've got a lot of people under you and nobody's listening.

As to mere power I have been for years in the daily exercise of more personal authority than any President habitually enjoys.

Even when you’re in charge, you’re not sure who’s in charge.

The person who manages the state is me.

I don't feel qualified to be President either, but I've got the job.

Whether it's a blessing or a curse, it's a fact that we have power. Everyone—friend and enemy—looks to see how we use it, how we treat it, how we keep it.

To govern is to chose.

My responsibilities as the governor are more than my neighbor’s and my family.

We are defined by how we use our power.

Leadership means that the person in charge gets second guessed by every little twit with a mouth.

In my position as prime minister, I bear the highest responsibility for decisions.