撒切尔夫人经典语录集萃

from thedailybeast.com 译/陈琳

If you want something said， ask a man. If you want something done， ask a woman. （假如你想要空谈，让男人来；假如你想办成事，让女人来。）

—Margaret Thatcher （玛格丽特·撒切尔）

The Iron Lady has left behind a legacy of political accomplishments marked by some unforgettable lines.

Margaret Thatcher once said， “If you want something said， ask a man. If you want something done， ask a woman.” While the former British prime minister， who died on April 8th， 2013 at the age of 87， was， indeed， a woman of action， she will be remembered both for the extraordinary things she did as well as the poignant1） things she said. In honor of the trailblazing2） politicians life， we take a look back at some of her most memorable quotes.

“No woman， in my time， will be prime minister or foreign secretary—not the top jobs，” Thatcher said in 1969. “Anyway， I wouldnt want to be prime minister. You have to give yourself 100 percent to the job.”

Ten years after writing off any desire—let alone the possibility—to lead the country she loved， Thatcher was elected prime minister. That same year she said， “Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country.”

On her election in 1979， Thatcher declared： “Where there is discord， may we bring harmony. Where there is error， may we bring truth. Where there is doubt， may we bring faith. And where there is despair， may we bring hope.”

Thatchers election may have inspired flowery aspirations for the future of Britain， but at her core she was all business. Many of her most notable quotes illustrate the brash3） and fierce attitude that earned her the nickname the “Iron Lady.”

At the Conservative Partys annual conference in October 1980， Thatcher stood up to critics of her economic policies. “To those waiting with bated breath4） for that favorite media catchphrase5）， the U-turn6）， I have only one thing to say. You turn if you want to，” she said. “The ladys not for turning.”

“Nobody would remember the Good Samaritan7） if he only had good intentions. He had money as well，” Thatcher said during a 1980 television interview in London. The prime minister was promoting the benefits of an unequal society.

She was not afraid to make her authority known， saying once， “I dont mind how much my ministers talk， as long as they do what I say.”

Perhaps she should have been more concerned with what her ministers were saying， as her time in office ultimately ended when her cabinet refused to back her for reelection in 1990. Of this dissension， she said： “It was treachery with a smile on its face. Perhaps that was the worst thing of all.”

One of Margaret Thatchers defining missions upon election as prime minister was to reduce government subsidies to industries and combat the power of the trade unions. From 1984 to 1985， Britains miners union went on strike， defying one of several laws that made striking or organizing mass pickets8） without a ballot illegal. Of the strike， Thatcher said， “We had to fight the enemy without in the Falklands9）. We always have to be aware of the enemy within， which is much more difficult to fight and more dangerous to liberty.”

Eleven years after becoming Britains first female prime minister， Thatcher gave in to pressure from her colleagues to step down. At her final cabinet meeting in November of 1990， Thatcher observed， “Its a funny old world.”

铁娘子”政绩卓越，给后人留下了宝贵的财富，尤为突出的是一些令人难忘的话语。

玛格丽特·撒切尔曾说：“假如你想要空谈，让男人来；假如你想办成事，让女人来。”这位英国前首相于今年4月8日去世，享年87岁。虽然撒切尔的确是位实干的女性，但她未来为人们所铭记，不仅是因为她的斐然政绩，还因为她说过的犀利言辞。为了纪念这位政治先驱的生涯，我们就来回顾一些她最令人难忘的语录。

“在我这个时代，没有女人能成为首相或外交大臣——没有女人能出任这些高层职位，”撒切尔在1969年说道，“反正我不会想去做首相。做这份工作你必须百分之百地投身其中。”

撒切尔说不想成为自己深爱的国家的领袖，更没想过这一切实现的可能性。然而，十年后，她当选为英国首相。同年，她说：“任何女人，只要懂持家，就更近乎于懂治国。”

1979年当选为首相时，撒切尔声明：“凡是有不和的地方，愿我们带来和谐；凡是有谬误的地方，愿我们带来真理；凡是有怀疑的地方，愿我们带来信任；凡是有绝望的地方，愿我们带来希望。”

撒切尔的当选可能激起了人们对英国未来各种华丽美好的期望，但就她而言，她实质上一直是个实干家。她的许多最知名的言论都体现出她倨傲而强势的态度，这也让她有了“铁娘子”的别称。

1980年10月的保守党年会上，撒切尔与那些指责她经济政策的批评者们直接对抗：“一些人正屏息焦急等待着媒体最爱的口号——‘180度大转弯。我只有一点要对你们说，要转你们转，”她说，“我决不会转变。”

“要是乐善好施的撒玛利亚人只有一片善心，那谁都不会记得他。他还得有钱。”撒切尔1980年在伦敦接受电视采访时说。当时这位首相正在宣传不平等社会的好处。

她从不怕表现出自己的权威，有一次她说：“我不在意我的大臣们怎么说，只要他们按照我说的去做。”

也许她真应该在意大臣们的言论。她的政治生涯走向终结，正是由于内阁不愿支持她参加1990年的连任选举。针对当时她与内阁间的不和，她说：“这是笑里藏刀的背叛。也许这才是最糟糕的。”

撒切尔当选为首相后的一项重大使命是减少各产业的政府补贴以及和工会力量抗衡。自1984年至1985年，英国的矿工工会一直在进行罢工，抗议数条相关法律中的一条——该条法律规定未经投票进行罢工或组织罢工纠察队是违法行为。针对罢工，撒切尔说：“我们对外不得不到福克兰群岛上去击退顽敌。我们还得时刻警惕内部敌人，他们更难击退，对自由的危害更大。”

在担任英国首位女首相11年后，撒切尔屈服于同僚压力，最终下台。在1990年11月的最后一次内阁会议上，撒切尔评论道：“这是个有趣的旧世界。”

1. poignant [?p??nj?nt] adj. 尖锐的，深刻的

2. trailblazing [?tre?l?ble?z??] adj. 开拓的，先驱的

3. brash [br??] adj. 盛气凌人的，自以为是的

4. with bated breath：因焦急或兴奋而屏住气息

5. catchphrase [?k?t??fre?z] n. 政治宣传标语，广告语

6. U-turn [ju?t??（r）n] n. 方向的大转变

7. Good Samaritan：好心的撒玛利亚人，出自《圣经》，泛指乐善好施的人。

8. picket [?p?k?t] n. 罢工纠察员，警戒队

9. Falklands： 即Falkland Islands，具体请参见23页注释13。