Margaret Thatcher

I am going to fight this election on the ground that we must restore Britain to greatness.

There are still some people who believe that you can get something for nothing. You can't.

We are not asking for a soft life. We are asking for a fair chance.

I am not a quitter. I am a fighter.

The greatest enemy of freedom is the state.

To those waiting with bated breath for that favorite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning.

We are not asking for a penny piece of community money for Britain. What we are asking is for a very large amount of our own money back, over and above what we contribute to the community, which is covered by our receipts from the community.

I wasn't lucky. I deserved it.

I stand before you today in my green suit, a colour which has been described as a colour of hope, and I have hope for Britain.

I am not a lady for turning.

My policies are based not on some economic theory, but on things I and millions like me were brought up to believe: an honest day's work for an honest day's pay; live within your means; put by for a rainy day; support the police, and above all, look after your family.

I will not be pushed around.

Of course, I am strong. I am a woman. I have to be.

I still get up in the morning and do my own hair.

I am not concerned with the approval of others.

I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near.

I have a natural antipathy to compromise.

The one thing that is certain about life is that it is uncertain.

You can't have a nanny state if you don't have a nanny.

My great fear is that I can't do my best. I always want to do my best.