--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've learned one thing in politics. You…" description: "\"I've learned one thing in politics. You don't take a decision until you have to.\" — Margaret Thatcher" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/margaret-thatcher-463_decision_i-ve-learned-one-thing-in-politics-you-d_180038.jpg" --- # I've learned one thing in politics. You don't take a… ![“I've learned one thing in politics. You don't take a decision until you have to.” quote by Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/margaret-thatcher-463_decision_i-ve-learned-one-thing-in-politics-you-d_180038.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/margaret-thatcher-463_decision_i-ve-learned-one-thing-in-politics-you-d_180038.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/margaret-thatcher-463_decision_i-ve-learned-one-thing-in-politics-you-d_180038.jpg) > “I've learned one thing in politics. You don't take a decision until you have to.” [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Decision‑making should be delayed until necessity forces it, avoiding premature choices. **In simple terms:** Wait to decide until required. Key Takeaway Act only when needed. Themes leadership decision‑making patience Mood analytical steady Type political practical When to use this quote - crisis management - policy development - business strategy Key Concepts political strategy risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - When is the right moment to decide? - How to identify true necessity? A Different Perspective Early decisions can lock in suboptimal paths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [I've learned one thing about life. We're a good deal like that ball, dancing on the fountain. We know as little about the forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardel-wray/i-ve-learned-one-thing-about-life-we-re-a-good-deal-like-that-ball/) Ardel Wray > [“I've learned one thing: you can only really get to know a person after a row. Only then can you judge their true character!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/i-ve-learned-one-thing-you-can-only-really-get-to-know-a-person-after/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [“If I’ve learned one thing doing this job it’s that evil can be anywhere. Even here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-casey/if-i-ve-learned-one-thing-doing-this-job-it-s-that-evil-can-be/) Jane Casey > [I think the thing that I've learned is that really great people, they actually want to work on hard problems,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/i-think-the-thing-that-i-ve-learned-is-that-really-great-people-they/) [Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/) > [I think the most important thing that I've learned is that you live and you learn. Try not to make the same mistakes twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-bailon/i-think-the-most-important-thing-that-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-live/) [Adrienne Bailon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-bailon/) > [I've learned to always avoid saying "always"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fowler/i-ve-learned-to-always-avoid-saying-always/) [Martin Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fowler/) > [When you get out of college, you think, "I've learned all I need to learn."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-earl-brown/when-you-get-out-of-college-you-think-i-ve-learned-all-i-need-to-learn/) [W. Earl Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-earl-brown/) > [I've learned so much from my mistakes... I'm thinking of making some more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-cole/i-ve-learned-so-much-from-my-mistakes-i-m-thinking-of-making-some-more/) [Cheryl Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-cole/) > [I've learned the hard way how valuable privacy is. And I've learned that there are a lot of things in your life that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/i-ve-learned-the-hard-way-how-valuable-privacy-is-and-i-ve-learned/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [All that I've learned, I've forgotten. The little that I still know, I've guessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-i-ve-learned-i-ve-forgotten-the-little-that-i-still-know-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What I've learned from myself is that I don't have to be anybody else. Myself is good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/what-i-ve-learned-from-myself-is-that-i-don-t-have-to-be-anybody-else/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [I've learned not to be surprised by what people do no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-ve-learned-not-to-be-surprised-by-what-people-do-no-more/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I've learned sometimes you just have to take the bad from people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-ve-learned-sometimes-you-just-have-to-take-the-bad-from-people/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I've learned that people will seldom let you down if they understand that your destiny is in their hands, and vice versa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/i-ve-learned-that-people-will-seldom-let-you-down-if-they-understand/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-ve-learned-that-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-person-by-the-way-he-she/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More by Margaret Thatcher > [When you stop a dictator, there are always risks. But there are greater risks in not stopping a dictator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-you-stop-a-dictator-there-are-always-risks-but-there-are-greater/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Ideally, when Christians meet, as Christians do, to take counsel together, their purpose is not ( or should not be) to ascertain what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/ideally-when-christians-meet-as-christians-do-to-take-counsel/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [If it's me against 48, I feel sorry for the 48.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/if-it-s-me-against-48-i-feel-sorry-for-the-48/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [ \[When asked how it felt to be a female prime minister:\] I don't know: I've never experienced the alternative. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-asked-how-it-felt-to-be-a-female-prime-minister-i-don-t-know-i/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [It is sometimes said that because of our past we, as a people, expect too much and set our sights too high. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-is-sometimes-said-that-because-of-our-past-we-as-a-people-expect/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Unless we change our ways and our direction, our greatness as a nation will soon be a footnote in the history books, a distant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/unless-we-change-our-ways-and-our-direction-our-greatness-as-a-nation/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I don't think any woman in power really has a happy life unless she's got a large number of women friends ... because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-don-t-think-any-woman-in-power-really-has-a-happy-life-unless-she-s/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/what-is-success-i-think-it-is-a-mixture-of-having-a-flair-for-the/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Personal virtue is no substitute for political hard-headedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/personal-virtue-is-no-substitute-for-political-hard-headedness/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [The Government wants a peaceful settlement. But we totally reject a peaceful sell-out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-government-wants-a-peaceful-settlement-but-we-totally-reject-a/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/major-international-interventions-are-doomed-unless-the-us-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [We have made too much of one or two people, and we think that they can win or lose elections for us. Don't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/we-have-made-too-much-of-one-or-two-people-and-we-think-that-they-can/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I pay tribute to John Major's achievement in persuading the other 11 Community Heads of Government that they could move ahead to a Social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-pay-tribute-to-john-major-s-achievement-in-persuading-the-other-11/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Explore all 539 Margaret Thatcher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## More Decision quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/) [Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/) [Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/) > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-am-encouraged-president-obama-now-says-he-will-fulfill-his/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) [Browse all 9,145 Decision quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've learned one thing in politics. 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