When will Labour learn that you cannot build Jerusalem in Brussels.
Margaret ThatcherRead
There is no week, nor day, nor hour, when tyranny may not enter upon this country, if the people lose their supreme confidence in themselves, and lose their roughness and spirit of defiance. Tyranny may always enter—there is no charm or bar against it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote stresses the importance of self-confidence and resilience in preventing tyranny.
In this quote, Margaret Thatcher warns that tyranny is always a possibility in a society, especially if its citizens lack confidence in themselves and become complacent. She emphasizes that a loss of spirit and defiance among the people can lead to the rise of oppressive forces, highlighting the ongoing need for vigilance and self-assuredness in the defense of freedom.
Themes
TyrannyConfidenceFreedomDefianceVigilance
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about democracy and civic engagement, one might reference this quote to inspire people to stand up for their rights.
More from Margaret Thatcher
All quotes →Never in the history of human credit has so much been owed.
Margaret ThatcherRead
The battle for women's rights has been largely won.
Margaret ThatcherRead
Ought we not to ask the media to agree among themselves a voluntary code of conduct, under which they would not say or show anything which could assist the terrorists' morale or their cause while the hijack lasted.
Margaret ThatcherRead
Israel must never be expected to jeopardize her security: if she was ever foolish enough to do so, and then suffered for it, the backlash against both honest brokers and Palestinians would be immense - 'land for peace' must also bring peace.
Margaret ThatcherRead
If it's me against 48, I feel sorry for the 48.
Margaret ThatcherRead
Similar quotes
A great state is a well-blended mash of something of all the people and all of none of the people. The liquor of statecraft is distilled from the mash you got.
Zora Neale HurstonRead
One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed - different plans have to be made. And the kernel here is the acknowledgement of defeat.
William F. Buckley, Jr.Read
We've come to be consumed by a 24-hour, slash-and-burn, negative ad, bickering, small-minded politics that doesn't move us forward. Sometimes one side is up and the other side is down. But there's no sense that they are coming together in a common-sense, practical, nonideological way to solve the problems that we face.
Barack ObamaRead
Governments everywhere that are unable to guarantee equitable growth and social welfare have suffered a fatal decay of legitimacy.
Pankaj MishraRead
Republicans and others who are in anguish over the possibility of socialized medicine ought to have to explain their ideology to a mother with a sick newborn. They ought to have to explain how this nation can debate health care and not mention how abysmal ours is.
Richard CohenRead
Politics should not be the least heart-filled thing we do, it should be the most heart-filled thing we do.
Marianne WilliamsonRead