--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Although she didn't have the plumbing…" description: "\"“Although she didn't have the plumbing, she deluded herself that she was the modern W.C. (about Margaret Thatcher, M.T.)”\" — Lydia Millet" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/lydia-millet-20356_margaret-thatcher_although-she-didn-t-have-the-plumbing-sh_1246266.png" --- # Although she didn't have the plumbing, she deluded herself… ![“Although she didn't have the plumbing, she deluded herself that she was the modern W.C. (about Margaret Thatcher, M.T.)” quote by Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/lydia-millet-20356_margaret-thatcher_although-she-didn-t-have-the-plumbing-sh_1246266.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/lydia-millet-20356_margaret-thatcher_although-she-didn-t-have-the-plumbing-sh_1246266.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/lydia-millet-20356_margaret-thatcher_although-she-didn-t-have-the-plumbing-sh_1246266.png) > ““Although she didn't have the plumbing, she deluded herself that she was the modern W.C. (about Margaret Thatcher, M.T.)”” [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comments on Margaret Thatcher’s perceived lack of substance, likening her to a modern restroom. **In simple terms:** Criticizes Thatcher as superficial. Key Takeaway Assess leaders beyond surface appearances. Themes politics gender leadership critique Mood wry critical Type literary political When to use this quote - political debates - media analysis - leadership evaluation Key Concepts Feminist theory political satire media representation Questions to Reflect On - What defines substantive leadership? - How does satire shape perception? A Different Perspective Satire can oversimplify complex figures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deluded Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deluded-modern-3910265/) [Didn Plumbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-plumbing-3910264/) [Margaret thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margaret-thatcher/) [Modern Margaret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-margaret-3910263/) [Plumbing Deluded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plumbing-deluded-3910262/) ## 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/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) > [“What we have witnessed in our own time is the death of universities as centres of critique. Since Margaret Thatcher, the role of academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-have-witnessed-in-our-own-time-is-the-death-of-universities/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [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/) > [“The Prime Minister says that she has given the French President a piece of her mind – this is not a gift I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/the-prime-minister-says-that-she-has-given-the-french-president-a/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [I often compare Margaret Thatcher with Florence Nightingale. She stalks through the wards of our hospitals as a lady with a lamp. Unfortunately, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/i-often-compare-margaret-thatcher-with-florence-nightingale-she/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [ \[Margaret Thatcher\] 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/) > [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/) ## More by Lydia Millet > [Kate Bernheimer's fiction offers a unique and delicate gift, the tempting mirage of a grace that constantly escapes. The Complete Tales of Merry Gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/kate-bernheimer-s-fiction-offers-a-unique-and-delicate-gift-the/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“Love of knowledge can draw on its credit indefinitely ... love of knowledge is iron-clad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/love-of-knowledge-can-draw-on-its-credit-indefinitely-love-of/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [Beneath the violet pillar, in the vacuum before the roar of the cloud, there came a soft sound that might have been heard by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/beneath-the-violet-pillar-in-the-vacuum-before-the-roar-of-the-cloud/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“As he was leaving it occurred to him that he would not come back, to this zoo or to any of them. With the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/as-he-was-leaving-it-occurred-to-him-that-he-would-not-come-back-to/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [The gun is mightier than the pen, was our true opinion, and the RPG is mightier still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/the-gun-is-mightier-than-the-pen-was-our-true-opinion-and-the-rpg-is/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“What was a face on television but a code, and what was the difference between these faces but a realignment of line and color…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/what-was-a-face-on-television-but-a-code-and-what-was-the-difference/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“I have always wished the present to resemble memory: because the present can be flat at times, and bald as a road. But memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/i-have-always-wished-the-present-to-resemble-memory-because-the/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“There was the honour and austerity of money as he walked through art galleries, as he saw around him the collections of oil paintings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/there-was-the-honour-and-austerity-of-money-as-he-walked-through-art/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“Let God leave us! Let us grow up. Let us walk forward on our own. Because we need the silence of the holy: we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/let-god-leave-us-let-us-grow-up-let-us-walk-forward-on-our-own/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [We need empathy, we need the eyes that still can weep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/we-need-empathy-we-need-the-eyes-that-still-can-weep/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [The rooms of his apartment were full with the dog home again, convalescing. He was satisfied to know, even when she was out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/the-rooms-of-his-apartment-were-full-with-the-dog-home-again/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“Then he would get into a plane and leave the field wide open; the field was crammed with paralegals, all of them stoutly armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/then-he-would-get-into-a-plane-and-leave-the-field-wide-open-the/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“Forget the buildings and the monuments. Let the softness of dark come in, all those light-years between stars and planets. Cities were the works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/forget-the-buildings-and-the-monuments-let-the-softness-of-dark-come/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“Aw, group hug! No one's a mindless robot anymore. Score!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/aw-group-hug-no-one-s-a-mindless-robot-anymore-score/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [We're so many, we're so hard to distinguish from each other, but we long to be distinguished ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/we-re-so-many-we-re-so-hard-to-distinguish-from-each-other-but-we/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) [Explore all 31 Lydia Millet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) ## More Margaret thatcher 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/) > [ \[Margaret Thatcher\] 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/) > [I often compare Margaret Thatcher with Florence Nightingale. She stalks through the wards of our hospitals as a lady with a lamp. Unfortunately, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/i-often-compare-margaret-thatcher-with-florence-nightingale-she/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [“The Prime Minister says that she has given the French President a piece of her mind – this is not a gift I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/the-prime-minister-says-that-she-has-given-the-french-president-a/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“What we have witnessed in our own time is the death of universities as centres of critique. Since Margaret Thatcher, the role of academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-have-witnessed-in-our-own-time-is-the-death-of-universities/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [ 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-mitchell/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) [Browse all 152 Margaret thatcher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margaret-thatcher/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Although she didn't have the plumbing, she deluded herself that she was the modern W.C. 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