---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was asked whether I was trying to…"
description: "\"I was asked whether I was trying to restore Victorian values. I said straight out I was. And I am.\" — Margaret Thatcher"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/margaret-thatcher-463_inspirational_i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-rest_1678841.jpg"
---

#  I was asked whether I was trying to restore Victorian…

![“I was asked whether I was trying to restore Victorian values. I said straight out I was. And I am.” quote by Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/margaret-thatcher-463_inspirational_i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-rest_1678841.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/margaret-thatcher-463_inspirational_i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-rest_1678841.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/margaret-thatcher-463_inspirational_i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-rest_1678841.jpg)

> “I was asked whether I was trying to restore Victorian values. I said straight out I was. And I am.”

[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.

Affirms commitment to restoring Victorian moral standards.

**In simple terms:** Supports Victorian values.

Key Takeaway

Uphold traditional ethics.

Themes

politics tradition values

Mood

assertive reflective

Type

political ideological

When to use this quote

- Policy debates
- education reform
- public discourse
- social norms

Key Concepts

Conservatism cultural restoration

Questions to Reflect On

- Which Victorian principles are still relevant today?
- How can tradition adapt to contemporary issues?

A Different Perspective

Modern contexts may challenge Victorian ideals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Iron lady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron-lady/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Victorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victorian/)

## Related quotes

> [I was brought up by a Victorian Grandmother. We were taught to work jolly hard. We were taught to prove yourself; we were taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-was-brought-up-by-a-victorian-grandmother-we-were-taught-to-work/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Victorian values meant brutalizing people who were often poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-palliser/victorian-values-meant-brutalizing-people-who-were-often-poor/)

[Charles Palliser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-palliser/)

> [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/)

> [“Mrs. Latham patted Hayley's knee with a frail, liver-spotted hand. ''I'm sure you do, dear. And I'm afraid those kinds of losses don't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rose/mrs-latham-patted-hayley-s-knee-with-a-frail-liver-spotted-hand-i-m/)

[Carol Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rose/)

> [I am not immortal, but I've got a lot left in me yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-am-not-immortal-but-i-ve-got-a-lot-left-in-me-yet/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [I might have preferred iron - but bronze will do. It won't rust. This time I hope, the head will stay on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-might-have-preferred-iron-but-bronze-will-do-it-won-t-rust-this/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Any leader has to have a certain amount of steel in them, so I am not that put out being called the Iron Lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/any-leader-has-to-have-a-certain-amount-of-steel-in-them-so-i-am-not/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Economics are the method; the object is to change the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/economics-are-the-method-the-object-is-to-change-the-soul/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you tonight in my … chiffon evening gown, my face softly made up, my fair hair gently waved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/ladies-and-gentlemen-i-stand-before-you-tonight-in-my-chiffon-evening/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Each generation has to stand up for democracy. It can't take anything for granted and may have to fight fundamental battles anew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/each-generation-has-to-stand-up-for-democracy-it-can-t-take-anything/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [It's the Labour Government that have brought us record peacetime taxation. They've got the usual Socialist disease - they've run out of other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-s-the-labour-government-that-have-brought-us-record-peacetime/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Gentlemen, if we don't cut spending we will be bankrupt. Yes, the medicine is harsh, but the patient requires it in order to live.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/gentlemen-if-we-don-t-cut-spending-we-will-be-bankrupt-yes-the/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [I have made it quite clear that a unified Ireland was one solution that is out. A second solution was a confederation of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-have-made-it-quite-clear-that-a-unified-ireland-was-one-solution/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [We had to fight the enemy without in the Falklands. We always have to be aware of the enemy within, which is much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/we-had-to-fight-the-enemy-without-in-the-falklands-we-always-have-to/)

[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/)

## 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 Inspirational quotes

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/)

[Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/)

> [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/)

[Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/)

> [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/)

[Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/)

> [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/)

[Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/)

> [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

[Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was asked whether I was trying to restore Victorian values. I said straight out I was. And I am.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Thatcher"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-restore-victorian-values-i-said/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Inspirational"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-restore-victorian-values-i-said/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/margaret-thatcher-463_inspirational_i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-rest_1678841.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/margaret-thatcher-463_inspirational_i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-rest_1678841.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/margaret-thatcher-463_inspirational_i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-rest_1678841.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was asked whether I was trying to restore Victorian values. I said straight out I was. And I am.” — Margaret Thatcher",
                "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": "Margaret Thatcher",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was asked whether I was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-restore-victorian-values-i-said/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-was-asked-whether-i-was-trying-to-restore-victorian-values-i-said/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
