“Forget that I'm a woman. Forget the accusations that I am a Right Winger demanding privilege - I had precious little privilege in my early years.”

“I came to office with one deliberate intent: to change Britain from a dependent to a self-reliant society - from a give-it-to-me, to a do-it-yourself nation. A get-up-and-go, instead of a sit-back-and-wait-for-it Britain.”

“Making change tolerable is one of the duties of Government.”

“Those who imagine that a politician would make a better figurehead than a hereditary monarch might perhaps make the acquaintance of more politicians.”

“There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty.”

“If you spend word for word with me, I shall make your wit bankrupt.”

“I'd rather argue against a hundred idiots, than have one agree with me.”

“I let the argument rip healthily between the departments. This is a very good way to finding out the truth.”