--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I admired Margaret Thatcher - while…" description: "\"I admired Margaret Thatcher - while abhorring much of what she offered - because she was so clearly a leader of huge substance. Blair was the dismal op..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/martin-jacques-6623_admired_i-admired-margaret-thatcher-while-abhorr_2371602.png" --- # I admired Margaret Thatcher - while abhorring much of what… ![“I admired Margaret Thatcher - while abhorring much of what she offered - because she was so clearly a leader of huge substance. Blair was the dismal opposite.” quote by Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/martin-jacques-6623_admired_i-admired-margaret-thatcher-while-abhorr_2371602.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/martin-jacques-6623_admired_i-admired-margaret-thatcher-while-abhorr_2371602.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/martin-jacques-6623_admired_i-admired-margaret-thatcher-while-abhorr_2371602.png) > “I admired Margaret Thatcher - while abhorring much of what she offered - because she was so clearly a leader of huge substance. Blair was the dismal opposite.” [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) ## 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 admires a leader’s substance despite disagreeing with many policies, contrasting with a less admirable counterpart. **In simple terms:** Admire substance despite policy differences. Key Takeaway Recognize leadership qualities beyond politics. Themes leadership substance political contrast Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical political When to use this quote - evaluating political figures - leadership training - public discourse Key Concepts ethical evaluation political analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do you separate personal traits from policy? - Can you admire without endorsing? A Different Perspective Admiration may overlook serious flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [I have an ambivalent relationship with Margaret Thatcher. She came to power in May 1979 - a month before my 11th birthday. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-have-an-ambivalent-relationship-with-margaret-thatcher-she-came-to/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Just as the England football manager starts with bells and flags and balloons and ends up reviled, so do prime ministers. Tony Blair -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/just-as-the-england-football-manager-starts-with-bells-and-flags-and/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [By and large, the artistic establishment disapproved of Margaret Thatcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/by-and-large-the-artistic-establishment-disapproved-of-margaret/) [Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/) > [It is good to see women doctors and lawyers and executives. I can visualize a woman president. If I were British, I would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/it-is-good-to-see-women-doctors-and-lawyers-and-executives-i-can/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [The first two Prime Ministers whom I served, Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher drew strikingly different lessons from the Second World War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hurd/the-first-two-prime-ministers-whom-i-served-ted-heath-and-margaret/) [Douglas Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hurd/) > [Margaret Thatcher was as viscerally hated at home as she was warmly respected abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/margaret-thatcher-was-as-viscerally-hated-at-home-as-she-was-warmly/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Scotland never voted for Margaret Thatcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/scotland-never-voted-for-margaret-thatcher/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [Margaret Thatcher was very good for the arts in so far as it gave people a real focus for something to be against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/margaret-thatcher-was-very-good-for-the-arts-in-so-far-as-it-gave/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [David Cameron is no Margaret Thatcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjaya-baru/david-cameron-is-no-margaret-thatcher/) [Sanjaya Baru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjaya-baru/) > [I think my parents knew before I did that I was going to be an actress, because I was doing impressions of Margaret Thatcher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-think-my-parents-knew-before-i-did-that-i-was-going-to-be-an/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [The women's movement in England was totally against Margaret Thatcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-women-s-movement-in-england-was-totally-against-margaret-thatcher/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I was Margaret Thatcher in the school election during the 1983 General Election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-truss/i-was-margaret-thatcher-in-the-school-election-during-the-1983/) [Liz Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-truss/) > [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/) > [Socialism and communism fall of their own weight because, as Margaret Thatcher said, you run out of other people's money. Because socialized medicine never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-gohmert/socialism-and-communism-fall-of-their-own-weight-because-as-margaret/) [Louie Gohmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-gohmert/) ## More by Martin Jacques > [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [No one likes to admit they are racist or bear prejudices. Nor do they even like to be open and honest when they witness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/no-one-likes-to-admit-they-are-racist-or-bear-prejudices-nor-do-they/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [If the truth be told, we are a society that is dripping in racism. This is not in the least surprising. For the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/if-the-truth-be-told-we-are-a-society-that-is-dripping-in-racism-this/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [In Formula One, the car can make a difference in a way that a driver cannot. Whereas Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna spent their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/in-formula-one-the-car-can-make-a-difference-in-a-way-that-a-driver/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [In the aftermath of 9/11 and in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq, few questioned the idea that the United States was likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/in-the-aftermath-of-9-11-and-in-the-build-up-to-the-invasion-of-iraq/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [At the heart of globalisation is a new kind of intolerance in the West towards other cultures, traditions and values, less brutal than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/at-the-heart-of-globalisation-is-a-new-kind-of-intolerance-in-the/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Our leaders increasingly see fit to lecture the ethnic minorities on the need to integrate, including of course the need to speak English. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/our-leaders-increasingly-see-fit-to-lecture-the-ethnic-minorities-on/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [If one wanted to find a modern symbol of personal freedom, the motor car is right there near the top of the list. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/if-one-wanted-to-find-a-modern-symbol-of-personal-freedom-the-motor/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Blair - except at the edges - was a Thatcherite. Brown, in contrast, regarded Thatcherism as something that had to be taken on board…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/blair-except-at-the-edges-was-a-thatcherite-brown-in-contrast/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Western countries are thoroughly accustomed to being the centre of global attention, which they have come to regard as their natural birthright. Not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/western-countries-are-thoroughly-accustomed-to-being-the-centre-of/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [The American model was celebrated by Thatcherites and New Labour alike, California worshipped as the model of the future, 'Anglo-Saxon' embalmed as the fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/the-american-model-was-celebrated-by-thatcherites-and-new-labour/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [One of the characteristics of New Labour - and Miliband is irredeemably of that species - is that, in the guise of a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/one-of-the-characteristics-of-new-labour-and-miliband-is-irredeemably/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [The two ethnic groups that remain fundamentally different from the Han Chinese - in terms of history, culture, language, religion and physical appearance -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/the-two-ethnic-groups-that-remain-fundamentally-different-from-the/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Sport is increasingly played according to the tune, and rules, of those with the biggest bucks, whether their practices be legal or illegal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/sport-is-increasingly-played-according-to-the-tune-and-rules-of-those/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Following the end of the Cold War, there was much discussion concerning the point of NATO. In the event, it was reinvented as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/following-the-end-of-the-cold-war-there-was-much-discussion/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) [Explore all 98 Martin Jacques quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) ## More Admired quotes > [To me, true style icons have been few and far between. Elizabeth Taylor comes to mind. I never got to meet her while she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-rocha/to-me-true-style-icons-have-been-few-and-far-between-elizabeth-taylor/) [Coco Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-rocha/) > [Most women you know are very much interested in the man who is reputed to be deeply admired by other women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-desmond/most-women-you-know-are-very-much-interested-in-the-man-who-is/) [Arthur Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-desmond/) > [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-creation-of-george-smiley-the-retired-spy-recalled-to-hunt-for/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [I suppose I'm led to do so by the fact of what happened to my contemporaries - people whom I've admired, people who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-woodcock/i-suppose-i-m-led-to-do-so-by-the-fact-of-what-happened-to-my/) [George Woodcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-woodcock/) > [I always admired virtue - but I could never imitate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-always-admired-virtue-but-i-could-never-imitate-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've always looked at guys who I've admired, like John Williams and Lalo Schifrin and Max Steiner, and looked at the choices they made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/i-ve-always-looked-at-guys-who-i-ve-admired-like-john-williams-and/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) > [Admired as a saint, defined by my rank. Combined with my strength, my time and my length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/admired-as-a-saint-defined-by-my-rank-combined-with-my-strength-my/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [ \[On her father's death:\] Gone was the person who had known me better than anyone else on earth and who had loved and admired… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-brody/on-her-father-s-death-gone-was-the-person-who-had-known-me-better/) [Jane Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-brody/) > [I've always admired actors such as Tabu, Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi and I'd like to do the kind of roles that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanam-saeed/i-ve-always-admired-actors-such-as-tabu-nandita-das-and-shabana-azmi/) [Sanam Saeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanam-saeed/) > [In life, if you are intelligent then you will be admired but if you are prominent then you are envied meanwhile if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeka/in-life-if-you-are-intelligent-then-you-will-be-admired-but-if-you/) [Jeka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeka/) > [ He \[A. J. Balfour\] was eminently one of the Cole Porter school of famous men, who only fell to rise again. Picking himself up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/he-a-j-balfour-was-eminently-one-of-the-cole-porter-school-of-famous/) [Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/) > [She never felt sorry for herself, and that was something I decided I admired most in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/she-never-felt-sorry-for-herself-and-that-was-something-i-decided-i/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Celebrity is never more admired than by the negligent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/celebrity-is-never-more-admired-than-by-the-negligent/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I have loved, adored and admired Irrfan Khan's work. Some of his movies are remarkable. So, working with him has been an honor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiku-sharda/i-have-loved-adored-and-admired-irrfan-khan-s-work-some-of-his-movies/) [Kiku Sharda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiku-sharda/) > [What! nothing grand and noble to be admired, obeyed, copied? Ah, the lack is not without you, but within you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/what-nothing-grand-and-noble-to-be-admired-obeyed-copied-ah-the-lack/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) Browse all 392 Admired quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I admired Margaret Thatcher - while abhorring much of what she offered - because she was so clearly a leader of huge substance. 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