--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We had to do what we had to do - Britain…" description: "\"We had to do what we had to do - Britain is great again.\" — Margaret Thatcher" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/margaret-thatcher-463_britain_we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-i_1499002.jpg" --- # We had to do what we had to do - Britain is great again. ![“We had to do what we had to do - Britain is great again.” quote by Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/margaret-thatcher-463_britain_we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-i_1499002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/margaret-thatcher-463_britain_we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-i_1499002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/margaret-thatcher-463_britain_we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-i_1499002.jpg) > “We had to do what we had to do - Britain is great again.” [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. Emphasizes decisive action and national pride as essential for restoring greatness. **In simple terms:** Act decisively for national pride. Key Takeaway Prioritize decisive action. Themes leadership nationalism determination Mood determined proud Type political motivational When to use this quote - government policy - public morale - campaign speeches Key Concepts political rhetoric patriotism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance decisive action with inclusive dialogue? - What risks arise from prioritizing national pride? A Different Perspective May overlook nuance and dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Britain Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain-great-1928270/) [British history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british-history/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [In Britain, there was always a great connection between me and the gallery. It was a very good chemistry because I was never flat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seve-ballesteros/in-britain-there-was-always-a-great-connection-between-me-and-the/) [Seve Ballesteros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seve-ballesteros/) > [Britain's great strength is its innovative, design and engineering natural ability and we're not using it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dyson/britain-s-great-strength-is-its-innovative-design-and-engineering/) [James Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dyson/) > [I lived in London in 1965 and 1972. I love it there and I'm always very creative in that vibe. Would love to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/creed-bratton/i-lived-in-london-in-1965-and-1972-i-love-it-there-and-i-m-always/) [Creed Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/creed-bratton/) > [Britain is a great country. We can more or less say what we like, and we can walk down the street without anyone trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/britain-is-a-great-country-we-can-more-or-less-say-what-we-like-and/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) > [Brexit stops Britain from being Great Britain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/brexit-stops-britain-from-being-great-britain/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [Britain has a great sense of its own national pride. It's like the monarchy is the embodiment of that pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/britain-has-a-great-sense-of-its-own-national-pride-it-s-like-the/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [Much of the world today, including the United States, is still living in the social, cultural, and political aftermath of Britain's cultural achievements, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/much-of-the-world-today-including-the-united-states-is-still-living/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Most Britons still lived and died without encountering anyone whose skin colour was different from their own. Slaves, in short, did not threaten, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/most-britons-still-lived-and-died-without-encountering-anyone-whose/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) > [For those who reject it, the Victorian experience is something to feel embarrassed about, to apologise for, to escape from, and never to repeat.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/for-those-who-reject-it-the-victorian-experience-is-something-to-feel/) [David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/) > [Out of the chaos of post-Roman Dark Age Britain, the English had created the world's first nation-state: One king, one country, one church, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/out-of-the-chaos-of-post-roman-dark-age-britain-the-english-had/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [Virtually every war fought since the Act of Union had gone badly at some stage, but before 1783 none had ended in defeat. Nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/virtually-every-war-fought-since-the-act-of-union-had-gone-badly-at/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) > [In Great Britain, woman was subordinate and confined. But at least she was also safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/in-great-britain-woman-was-subordinate-and-confined-but-at-least-she/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) > [Britain, the first industrial nation, had offered the world a remarkable public experiment in liberal, capitalist democracy whose success was premised upon free trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-o-morgan/britain-the-first-industrial-nation-had-offered-the-world-a/) [Kenneth O. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-o-morgan/) > [Taxation, the very thing that had triggered the British civil wars, would do so again, this time in America. The taxes may have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/taxation-the-very-thing-that-had-triggered-the-british-civil-wars/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## 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 Britain quotes > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [In Britain, the press want to kill a show by revealing what's coming up and spoiling the pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-bonneville/in-britain-the-press-want-to-kill-a-show-by-revealing-what-s-coming/) [Hugh Bonneville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-bonneville/) > [If we don't like modern Britain, then it is very unlikely that modern Britain will like us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/if-we-don-t-like-modern-britain-then-it-is-very-unlikely-that-modern/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [It is time Britain put its trust back into the Labour Party. I believe I am the candidate that can make this happen precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-abbott/it-is-time-britain-put-its-trust-back-into-the-labour-party-i-believe/) [Diane Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-abbott/) > [Britain has the IRA and no one cancels concerts there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-osbourne/britain-has-the-ira-and-no-one-cancels-concerts-there/) [Sharon Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-osbourne/) > [The establishment in Britain is certainly against the arts and against education. If something doesn't make a profit, it's invalid, and art doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/the-establishment-in-britain-is-certainly-against-the-arts-and/) [Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/) > [We from every religion feel comfortable in Britain because there is a host. The Church of England is a good host, it has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/we-from-every-religion-feel-comfortable-in-britain-because-there-is-a/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/) [Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/) > [I am the last of Britain's stately homos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-am-the-last-of-britain-s-stately-homos/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [ As for whether what happened in Britain improves\[Donald\] Trump's chances of winning, I don't think so. He has the same chances; we may just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-michael-cillizza/as-for-whether-what-happened-in-britain-improves-donald-trump-s/) [Christopher Michael Cillizza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-michael-cillizza/) > [Britain, like other European states, is not and never will again be in the top-world-power league, so its male leaders can afford to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/britain-like-other-european-states-is-not-and-never-will-again-be-in/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) > [When you go away, you see where you come from in a different light. I see Scotland, and the rest of Britain, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-you-go-away-you-see-where-you-come-from-in-a-different-light-i/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [It was very hard breaking into the film industry in Britain. I had been to art school, and I was painting and doing commercials.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/it-was-very-hard-breaking-into-the-film-industry-in-britain-i-had/) [Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/) > [Germany has always stood for an E.U. of the 27 countries. But in light of Britain's continued resistance to further integration steps, as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/germany-has-always-stood-for-an-e-u-of-the-27-countries-but-in-light/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) [Browse all 1,648 Britain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We had to do what we had to do - Britain is great again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Thatcher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-is-great-again/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Britain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-is-great-again/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/margaret-thatcher-463_britain_we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-i_1499002.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/margaret-thatcher-463_britain_we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-i_1499002.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/margaret-thatcher-463_britain_we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-i_1499002.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We had to do what we had to do - Britain is great again.” — 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": "We had to do what we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-is-great-again/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/we-had-to-do-what-we-had-to-do-britain-is-great-again/#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 } } ] } ```