---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After 23 years closeted at Westminster…"
description: "\"After 23 years closeted at Westminster, where often all you can see out of the windows are other parliamentary buildings, I appreciate space, and I ret..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ann-widdecombe-4586_buildings_after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-w_607459.jpg"
---

#  After 23 years closeted at Westminster, where often all…

![“After 23 years closeted at Westminster, where often all you can see out of the windows are other parliamentary buildings, I appreciate space, and I retired to Dartmoor to find it.” quote by Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ann-widdecombe-4586_buildings_after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-w_607459.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ann-widdecombe-4586_buildings_after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-w_607459.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ann-widdecombe-4586_buildings_after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-w_607459.jpg)

> “After 23 years closeted at Westminster, where often all you can see out of the windows are other parliamentary buildings, I appreciate space, and I retired to Dartmoor to find it.”

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

After years in a confined political environment, she sought open space in nature for renewal.

**In simple terms:** Leaving a restrictive setting for nature’s openness.

Key Takeaway

Seek environments that restore your spirit.

Themes

freedom renewal nature

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

reflective personal

When to use this quote

- urban to rural move
- career change
- retirement planning

Key Concepts

environmental psychology career transition personal fulfillment

Questions to Reflect On

- What space do you need to thrive?
- How can you create openness in daily life?

A Different Perspective

Nature may not solve deeper personal issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buildings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/)

## Related quotes

> [It is a truth universally unacknowledged at Westminster that there is life after politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/it-is-a-truth-universally-unacknowledged-at-westminster-that-there-is/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [“This week, Zuma was quoted as saying, 'When the British came to our country, they said everything we are doing was barbaric, was wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gevisser/this-week-zuma-was-quoted-as-saying-when-the-british-came-to-our/)

[Mark Gevisser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-gevisser/)

> [I grew up in New Jersey in the '80s. That means one thing: Big hair. ... I had big hair, my boyfriends had big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jancee-dunn/i-grew-up-in-new-jersey-in-the-80s-that-means-one-thing-big-hair-i/)

[Jancee Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jancee-dunn/)

> [I can't say I connected with many of my co-workers at Westminster. My MP's office was sandwiched between those of Peter Mandelson and Harriet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/i-can-t-say-i-connected-with-many-of-my-co-workers-at-westminster-my/)

[Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/)

> [Commemorative stone in the floor of the Chapel of St. George in Westminster Abbey, London, dedicated in 1947: TO THE MEMORY OF ROBERT Baden-Powell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baden-powell/commemorative-stone-in-the-floor-of-the-chapel-of-st-george-in/)

[Robert Baden-Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baden-powell/)

> [In Westminster, we can sometimes forget just how much the public hate their money being wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-truss/in-westminster-we-can-sometimes-forget-just-how-much-the-public-hate/)

[Liz Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-truss/)

> [It is contended that those who have been bred at Eton, Harrow, Rugby, and Westminster, that the public sentiment within each of those schools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-contended-that-those-who-have-been-bred-at-eton-harrow-rugby/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [As I passed along the side walls of Westminster Abbey, I hardly saw any thing but marble monuments of great admirals, but which were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-philipp-moritz/as-i-passed-along-the-side-walls-of-westminster-abbey-i-hardly-saw/)

[Karl Philipp Moritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-philipp-moritz/)

> [The problem is that many MPs never see the London that exists beyond the wine bars and brothels of Westminster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/the-problem-is-that-many-mps-never-see-the-london-that-exists-beyond/)

[Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/)

> [I look forward to the day when the Westminster Parliament is just a council chamber in Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/i-look-forward-to-the-day-when-the-westminster-parliament-is-just-a/)

[Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/)

> [We've chosen to stay part of the Westminster system, but we don't want to be a forgotten, sidelined part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/we-ve-chosen-to-stay-part-of-the-westminster-system-but-we-don-t-want/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [I make sure everything goes evenly in the chamber. But also, I'm kind of the chief executive of the Palace of Westminster, the House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/i-make-sure-everything-goes-evenly-in-the-chamber-but-also-i-m-kind/)

[Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/)

> [Some days I feel like I'm only the fire hydrant to Westminster dog show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/some-days-i-feel-like-i-m-only-the-fire-hydrant-to-westminster-dog/)

[Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/)

> [It is beginning to be doubtful whether Parliament and Congress sit in Westminster and Washington, or in the editorial rooms of the leading journals,--so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-beginning-to-be-doubtful-whether-parliament-and-congress-sit-in/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Westminster is no joke. I took some tough classes there. It prepared me for a tough career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-baldwin/westminster-is-no-joke-i-took-some-tough-classes-there-it-prepared-me/)

[Brooke Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-baldwin/)

## More by Ann Widdecombe

> [It is quite wrong that one group of people should regularly and deliberately flout the law, boast about it and get away with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/it-is-quite-wrong-that-one-group-of-people-should-regularly-and/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [In the 1990s, while the Maastricht debate was raging, I was a minister in the Major government. Every single piece of legislation we proposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/in-the-1990s-while-the-maastricht-debate-was-raging-i-was-a-minister/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [I cannot bear the language TV chefs use - they don't seem able to look at a plate of vegetables without accusing it of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-cannot-bear-the-language-tv-chefs-use-they-don-t-seem-able-to-look/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [I am not an enthusiast when it comes to cities, preferring rolling scenery, wildlife and stars to museums, monuments, architecture and traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-am-not-an-enthusiast-when-it-comes-to-cities-preferring-rolling/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [Believing in God was something I took as much for granted as the air I breathed. Religion wasn't something that came out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/believing-in-god-was-something-i-took-as-much-for-granted-as-the-air/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [I think the rest of the world will think we're made, and indeed we are. We've turned out the greatest Prime Minister in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-think-the-rest-of-the-world-will-think-we-re-made-and-indeed-we-are/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [In 1999 my father died and my mother was coming to live with me. So I left my Kennington flat and bought a house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/in-1999-my-father-died-and-my-mother-was-coming-to-live-with-me-so-i/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [Cats are ideal for politicians. I had two when I arrived at Westminster, Sooty and Sweep, who had come with a flat I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/cats-are-ideal-for-politicians-i-had-two-when-i-arrived-at/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [If I were queen for a day, every city would have to spend one hour in utter silence: no music in shops and restaurants,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/if-i-were-queen-for-a-day-every-city-would-have-to-spend-one-hour-in/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [The postcode lottery means that the level of care you get differs hugely around the country, and the health service simply cannot meet every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/the-postcode-lottery-means-that-the-level-of-care-you-get-differs/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [Almost anybody from the past will hold views discordant with the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/almost-anybody-from-the-past-will-hold-views-discordant-with-the/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [The Arctic has huge glaciers, frozen waterfalls and floating ice. This is scenery on which man has left no mark, which has stayed unchanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/the-arctic-has-huge-glaciers-frozen-waterfalls-and-floating-ice-this/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [Always carry a handkerchief. Especially in television studios.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/always-carry-a-handkerchief-especially-in-television-studios/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [I suspect my own journey to Brexit has closely followed that of Britain's. I had doubts, then I decided we should stay in, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-suspect-my-own-journey-to-brexit-has-closely-followed-that-of/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [I am a Conservative: I'm never going to be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-am-a-conservative-i-m-never-going-to-be-anything-else/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

[Explore all 109 Ann Widdecombe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

## More Buildings quotes

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [Seoul will strictly limit the total greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and expand the construction of zero-energy buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-won-soon/seoul-will-strictly-limit-the-total-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from/)

[Park Won-soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-won-soon/)

> [I grew up in a big sky country. Then I lived in Manhattan, where you can only see the sky between buildings, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-grew-up-in-a-big-sky-country-then-i-lived-in-manhattan-where-you/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [The human animal originally came from out-of-doors. When spring begins to move in his bones, he just must get out again. Moreover, as civilization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-human-animal-originally-came-from-out-of-doors-when-spring-begins/)

[Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/)

> [“The structure of life I have described in buildings - the structure which I believe to be objective - is deeply and inextricably connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-thomsen-brits/the-structure-of-life-i-have-described-in-buildings-the-structure/)

[Louisa Thomsen Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-thomsen-brits/)

> [Extreme weather threatens our energy and electric grid, federal buildings, transportation infrastructure, access to natural resources, public health, our relationships across the globe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cartwright/extreme-weather-threatens-our-energy-and-electric-grid-federal/)

[Matt Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cartwright/)

> [In New York, we're always confined with spaces. Our restaurants are difficult to navigate as cooks and to operate. We fight against the buildings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/in-new-york-we-re-always-confined-with-spaces-our-restaurants-are/)

[David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/)

> [Most buildings, whether they're Gothic cathedrals or Romanesque ones, were high tech for their time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/most-buildings-whether-they-re-gothic-cathedrals-or-romanesque-ones/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [I don't measure success by how many buildings have my name on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-don-t-measure-success-by-how-many-buildings-have-my-name-on-it/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainability-because-sometimes-i-see/)

[Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/)

> [Once I tried to make a standardization of staircases. Probably that is one of the oldest of the standardizations. Of course, we design new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/once-i-tried-to-make-a-standardization-of-staircases-probably-that-is/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [My buildings will be my legacy... they will speak for me long after I'm gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-morgan/my-buildings-will-be-my-legacy-they-will-speak-for-me-long-after-i-m/)

Julia Morgan

> [When I first came to New York City, what I was thrilled about was not the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/when-i-first-came-to-new-york-city-what-i-was-thrilled-about-was-not/)

[Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/)

> [I come from Canada, and maternity leave is six months to a year, and they also have paternity leave, and I think that there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cobie-smulders/i-come-from-canada-and-maternity-leave-is-six-months-to-a-year-and/)

[Cobie Smulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cobie-smulders/)

> [I love to walk through the streets of Jesus Maria and Pueblo Libre. The Spanish colonial buildings are in bright colors, two stories high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-love-to-walk-through-the-streets-of-jesus-maria-and-pueblo-libre/)

[Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/)

[Browse all 376 Buildings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "After 23 years closeted at Westminster, where often all you can see out of the windows are other parliamentary buildings, I appreciate space, and I retired to Dartmoor to find it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ann Widdecombe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-where-often-all-you-can-see/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buildings"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-where-often-all-you-can-see/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ann-widdecombe-4586_buildings_after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-w_607459.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ann-widdecombe-4586_buildings_after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-w_607459.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ann-widdecombe-4586_buildings_after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-w_607459.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“After 23 years closeted at Westminster, where often all you can see out of the windows are other…” — Ann Widdecombe",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ann Widdecombe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "After 23 years closeted at Westminster,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-where-often-all-you-can-see/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/after-23-years-closeted-at-westminster-where-often-all-you-can-see/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
