--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started knocking on Highland doors…" description: "\"When I started knocking on Highland doors in May 1983, two things struck me more than any other. First was the sheer depth of hostility towards the Tor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/charles-kennedy-2998_depth_when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-door_1928929.jpg" --- # When I started knocking on Highland doors in May 1983, two… ![“When I started knocking on Highland doors in May 1983, two things struck me more than any other. First was the sheer depth of hostility towards the Tories in general. Second was the particular hostility towards Margaret Thatcher and her local ministerial spear-carrier, energy minister and…” quote by Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/charles-kennedy-2998_depth_when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-door_1928929.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/charles-kennedy-2998_depth_when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-door_1928929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/charles-kennedy-2998_depth_when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-door_1928929.jpg) > “When I started knocking on Highland doors in May 1983, two things struck me more than any other. First was the sheer depth of hostility towards the Tories in general. Second was the particular hostility towards Margaret Thatcher and her local ministerial spear-carrier, energy minister and incumbent MP of 13 years' standing, Hamish Gray.” [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker observed intense anti‑Conservative sentiment, especially directed at Thatcher and energy minister Hamish Gray, during a 1983 outreach effort. **In simple terms:** People were very hostile to the Tories, especially Thatcher and Gray. Key Takeaway Recognize strong political emotions when engaging voters. Themes politics public sentiment leadership Mood critical reflective Type political observational When to use this quote - campaigning - public speaking - policy debate - grassroots outreach Key Concepts partisanship political hostility media perception Questions to Reflect On - How does personal bias shape political perceptions? - What strategies can reduce hostility in political dialogue? A Different Perspective Hostility may be amplified by media narratives and personal bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) ## Related quotes > [In a way, the debate about Margaret Thatcher in Britain has just gotten fossilized in this notion that she is either this she-devil who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllida-lloyd/in-a-way-the-debate-about-margaret-thatcher-in-britain-has-just/) [Phyllida Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllida-lloyd/) > [Every argument that Margaret Thatcher ever made internationally didn't have a great deal to do with her contempt for Communism - she never really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mulroney/every-argument-that-margaret-thatcher-ever-made-internationally-didn/) [Brian Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mulroney/) > [Margaret Thatcher has shown that there is power and dignity to be won by defying the status quo and the majority rather than by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/margaret-thatcher-has-shown-that-there-is-power-and-dignity-to-be-won/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Of course Margaret Thatcher was a remarkable and strong-willed figure but she was also a pragmatist, just as ready to upset her right wing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/of-course-margaret-thatcher-was-a-remarkable-and-strong-willed-figure/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [Margaret Thatcher was a great leader for her nation at a pivotal and a perilous time. So, I find the comparison flattering, but that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/margaret-thatcher-was-a-great-leader-for-her-nation-at-a-pivotal-and/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [Her iron will won international respect. Her unabashed femininity gained women's. Margaret Thatcher was a lady's lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-burfitt-dons/her-iron-will-won-international-respect-her-unabashed-femininity/) [Louise Burfitt-Dons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-burfitt-dons/) > [Britain's done a lot of changing in the past 50 years. The decline of manufacturing and heavy industry under Margaret Thatcher ripped the economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sarkar/britain-s-done-a-lot-of-changing-in-the-past-50-years-the-decline-of/) [Ash Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sarkar/) > [She ( Margaret Thatcher )is democratic enough to talk down to anyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-mitchell/she-margaret-thatcher-is-democratic-enough-to-talk-down-to-anyone/) Austin Mitchell > [Margaret Thatcher had more impact on the world than any woman ruler since Catherine the Great of Russia. Not only did she turn around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/margaret-thatcher-had-more-impact-on-the-world-than-any-woman-ruler/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [I am not running as Son of Margaret Thatcher. I have my own priorities and my own programmes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-major/i-am-not-running-as-son-of-margaret-thatcher-i-have-my-own-priorities/) [John Major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-major/) > [ I think psychologically \[Margaret Thatcher\] is really worth studying. I am reading Charles Moore's biography of her, and he has gotten us right there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-think-psychologically-margaret-thatcher-is-really-worth-studying-i/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If there is a better singer in England than Craig David, then I am Margaret Thatcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/if-there-is-a-better-singer-in-england-than-craig-david-then-i-am/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [They didn't even like Margaret Thatcher but at least there was Margaret Thatcher. There have been women, you know, Sonia Gandhi for heaven's sakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-clinton/they-didn-t-even-like-margaret-thatcher-but-at-least-there-was/) [Kate Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-clinton/) > [ \[Margaret Thatcher\] is a woman who, when she wrote her entry for "Who's Who," didn't include her mother. Now whether that was corrected in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/margaret-thatcher-is-a-woman-who-when-she-wrote-her-entry-for-who-s/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [ \[Margaret\] Thatcher could fake her class background, but she couldn't fake the quality of her mind. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/margaret-thatcher-could-fake-her-class-background-but-she-couldn-t/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## More by Charles Kennedy > [Politics means facing up to hard choices and facing down prejudice, short-termism, the easy, tempting court of knee-jerk public reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/politics-means-facing-up-to-hard-choices-and-facing-down-prejudice/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [It would be a tragedy if the remarkable international coalition against terrorism, successfully marshalled in the aftermath of 11 September, were to fragment over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/it-would-be-a-tragedy-if-the-remarkable-international-coalition/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [Speaking to numerous teachers and nurses, I am consistently struck by the sense of mission they have about their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/speaking-to-numerous-teachers-and-nurses-i-am-consistently-struck-by/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [Terror can never be defeated by force alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/terror-can-never-be-defeated-by-force-alone/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [Three simple words - freedom, justice and honesty. These sum up what the Liberal Democrats stand for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/three-simple-words-freedom-justice-and-honesty-these-sum-up-what-the/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [I happen to consider myself a Highlander even before a Scot; I am proud to be British yet feel comfortable as a European citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/i-happen-to-consider-myself-a-highlander-even-before-a-scot-i-am/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [Some ministers are fond of talking about a return to Victorian values. We must realise that those Victorian values are being expressed by some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/some-ministers-are-fond-of-talking-about-a-return-to-victorian-values/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [I have never once been persuaded as to the causal link between the Iraqi regime, al-Qaeda and September 11. I do believe the impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/i-have-never-once-been-persuaded-as-to-the-causal-link-between-the/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [I'm not someone who dwells upon past events, taking the view that life is too short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/i-m-not-someone-who-dwells-upon-past-events-taking-the-view-that-life/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [Ours is a stable country. Ours is a sensible country. And ours is a fundamentally decent country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/ours-is-a-stable-country-ours-is-a-sensible-country-and-ours-is-a/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [Yes, you need substance in politics - but I think your style also says something about how you arrive at some of your conclusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/yes-you-need-substance-in-politics-but-i-think-your-style-also-says/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [We need less theoretical debate and more practical application and acknowledgment of what Europe can and does do so that it is brought home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/we-need-less-theoretical-debate-and-more-practical-application-and/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [We need a liberal agenda in which government resists the temptation to interfere in the lives of individuals but is equally determined to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/we-need-a-liberal-agenda-in-which-government-resists-the-temptation/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [I couldn't imagine a day without music. It relaxes and stimulates me in equal measure and I hate the sound of silence - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/i-couldn-t-imagine-a-day-without-music-it-relaxes-and-stimulates-me/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [Soon after the 1997 election, I argued that there was no inverse law of political gravity which said that everything which went down had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/soon-after-the-1997-election-i-argued-that-there-was-no-inverse-law/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) [Explore all 143 Charles Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) ## More Depth quotes > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/) [Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“depth of the riches both”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/depth-of-the-riches-both/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [Life can be difficult sometimes, it gets bumpy. What with family and kids and things not going exactly like you planned. But that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-van-patten/life-can-be-difficult-sometimes-it-gets-bumpy-what-with-family-and/) Joyce Van Patten > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [...a writer's works, like the water in an artesian well, mount to a height which is in proportion to the depth to which suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-writer-s-works-like-the-water-in-an-artesian-well-mount-to-a-height/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-heart-of-man-is-very-much-like-the-sea-it-has-its-storms-it-has/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [The N.Y.C. tech scene is vibrant, and Betabeat will be a great vehicle to cover it in depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-kushner/the-n-y-c-tech-scene-is-vibrant-and-betabeat-will-be-a-great-vehicle/) [Jared Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-kushner/) > [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. People who go through life unscathed by sorrow and untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/suffering-in-life-can-uncover-untold-depths-of-character-and-unknown/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I'd like roles with more depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-locklear/i-d-like-roles-with-more-depth/) [Heather Locklear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-locklear/) [Browse all 2,384 Depth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I started knocking on Highland doors in May 1983, two things struck me more than any other. First was the sheer depth of hostility towards the Tories in general. Second was the particular hostility towards Margaret Thatcher and her local ministerial spear-carrier, energy minister and incumbent MP of 13 years' standing, Hamish Gray.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Kennedy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-doors-in-may-1983-two-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Depth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-doors-in-may-1983-two-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/charles-kennedy-2998_depth_when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-door_1928929.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/charles-kennedy-2998_depth_when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-door_1928929.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/charles-kennedy-2998_depth_when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-door_1928929.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I started knocking on Highland doors in May 1983, two things struck me more than any other. First was…” — Charles Kennedy", "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": "Charles Kennedy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I started knocking on Highland...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-doors-in-may-1983-two-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/when-i-started-knocking-on-highland-doors-in-may-1983-two-things/#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 } } ] } ```