I can't hear rhythm.

I don't analyse myself.

Everything I did in politics affected somebody.

Britain must govern Britain and nothing less will do.

I stay on terra firma: the more firm, the less terror.

Satisfaction is a major player in the happiness stakes.

Commerce and politics do not go with royalty, full stop.

People wanted to protest, and Ukip's a conduit for that.

I am a Conservative: I'm never going to be anything else.

In politics there is no right answer - and no final answer.

Well, I spent 23 years in politics, and bits of that were fun.

We need less political correctness and more political courage.

Always carry a handkerchief. Especially in television studios.

My cat did that the other day when he came in from the garden.

I am not a natural dancer, not even a half way competent dancer.

I am toothy, dumpy, ugly, overweight, a spinster - what the hell?

The abuse of children is the worst offence that anybody can commit.

Not even the severest critics of Jeffrey Archer can deny his style.

Almost anybody from the past will hold views discordant with the present.

If we deny our culture and become nothing and everything, that weakens us.

Cats are so wonderful because they're furry, purry and totally independent.

That's the joy of retirement - you're not trying to develop a career any more.

It is a truth universally unacknowledged at Westminster that there is life after politics.

I'd rather form my own party than ever join Ukip. We could call it the Widdy Mob. I'm joking.

Parliament was an institution of enormous standing when I was aspiring to go in. It isn't now.

Car horns were invented to warn other drivers of your presence, not to express displeasure or greetings.

What I do not like is militant secularism, whereby anything is acceptable as long as it's not Christian.

If someone calls you fat and you are fat, then it will be hurtful only if you feel you should not be fat.

The E.U. is terrified that we might become a competitor on its doorstep and that is exactly what we should be.

I am not normally a fan of organised tours: few public figures are, feeling themselves objects of constant curiosity.

Actors and entertainers can become parliamentarians, so why should parliamentarians not become entertainers and actors?

It is a fundamental principle of democracy that citizens obey the law or incur whatever penalty applies to its breaking.

Gentle mockery or sharp satire aimed at Christians and their leaders have been replaced by abuse of Christianity itself.

On the whole, my disposition is to say yes, unless I've got good reason to say no, and I think that's being in public life.

Great political leaders risk unpopularity, patiently explain their case and confront prejudice, bigotry and vested interests.

I always said it was my ambition to have a library - I have one - and my dream was to have a pool. Then 'Strictly' came along.

It is quite wrong that one group of people should regularly and deliberately flout the law, boast about it and get away with it.

The modern notion of background music is a loud thump, thump, thump. It isn't only conversation it kills but also concentration.

I've never understood this business of 'I could always have had something more.' If what you had was good, then thanks be to God.

Mice are everywhere at Westminster but many MPs, including me, did not report them because we were afraid of their possible fate.

Cats, unlike dogs, are independent creatures. They do not need walking and are content to be alone all day, providing they are fed.

The first visit I made to Australia was in 1996 when I was the prisons' minister and was looking at other countries' penal systems.

My father was in the admiralty and he rose to a very senior position. He was very formidable; a bit grumpy, but I loved him dearly.

Stand-up comics tend to make two assumptions: that Christians have no sense of humour and that all their audiences are unbelievers.

I cannot bear the language TV chefs use - they don't seem able to look at a plate of vegetables without accusing it of sexual activity.

I am so used to seeing a blond in the mirror that I forget that for most of my life I was very dark. Old photos are still a bit of a shock.

All of us, whether public figures or private individuals, should feel safe in our own homes and not fear surveillance from nosy neighbours.

One of my best moments was getting a constituent out of jail in Morocco, by which of course I mean I got him released not that I sprung him.

Believing in God was something I took as much for granted as the air I breathed. Religion wasn't something that came out of a box on Sunday.

I don't have a problem with other people having different faith; my problem is if we confuse respecting that with surrendering our own faith.

Share This Page