from thedailybeast.com 譯/陳琳

If you want something said， ask a man. If you want something done， ask a woman. （假如你想要空談，讓男人來(lái)；假如你想辦成事，讓女人來(lái)。）

—Margaret Thatcher （瑪格麗特·撒切爾）

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.”

鐵娘子”政績(jī)卓越，給后人留下了寶貴的財(cái)富，尤為突出的是一些令人難忘的話語(yǔ)。

瑪格麗特·撒切爾曾說(shuō)：“假如你想要空談，讓男人來(lái)；假如你想辦成事，讓女人來(lái)?！边@位英國(guó)前首相于今年4月8日去世，享年87歲。雖然撒切爾的確是位實(shí)干的女性，但她未來(lái)為人們所銘記，不僅是因?yàn)樗撵橙徽?jī)，還因?yàn)樗f(shuō)過(guò)的犀利言辭。為了紀(jì)念這位政治先驅(qū)的生涯，我們就來(lái)回顧一些她最令人難忘的語(yǔ)錄。

“在我這個(gè)時(shí)代，沒(méi)有女人能成為首相或外交大臣——沒(méi)有女人能出任這些高層職位，”撒切爾在1969年說(shuō)道，“反正我不會(huì)想去做首相。做這份工作你必須百分之百地投身其中?！?/p>

撒切爾說(shuō)不想成為自己深愛(ài)的國(guó)家的領(lǐng)袖，更沒(méi)想過(guò)這一切實(shí)現(xiàn)的可能性。然而，十年后，她當(dāng)選為英國(guó)首相。同年，她說(shuō)：“任何女人，只要懂持家，就更近乎于懂治國(guó)?！?/p>

1979年當(dāng)選為首相時(shí)，撒切爾聲明：“凡是有不和的地方，愿我們帶來(lái)和諧；凡是有謬誤的地方，愿我們帶來(lái)真理；凡是有懷疑的地方，愿我們帶來(lái)信任；凡是有絕望的地方，愿我們帶來(lái)希望?！?/p>

撒切爾的當(dāng)選可能激起了人們對(duì)英國(guó)未來(lái)各種華麗美好的期望，但就她而言，她實(shí)質(zhì)上一直是個(gè)實(shí)干家。她的許多最知名的言論都體現(xiàn)出她倨傲而強(qiáng)勢(shì)的態(tài)度，這也讓她有了“鐵娘子”的別稱。

1980年10月的保守黨年會(huì)上，撒切爾與那些指責(zé)她經(jīng)濟(jì)政策的批評(píng)者們直接對(duì)抗：“一些人正屏息焦急等待著媒體最愛(ài)的口號(hào)——‘180度大轉(zhuǎn)彎。我只有一點(diǎn)要對(duì)你們說(shuō)，要轉(zhuǎn)你們轉(zhuǎn)，”她說(shuō)，“我決不會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)變。”

“要是樂(lè)善好施的撒瑪利亞人只有一片善心，那誰(shuí)都不會(huì)記得他。他還得有錢(qián)。”撒切爾1980年在倫敦接受電視采訪時(shí)說(shuō)。當(dāng)時(shí)這位首相正在宣傳不平等社會(huì)的好處。

她從不怕表現(xiàn)出自己的權(quán)威，有一次她說(shuō)：“我不在意我的大臣們?cè)趺凑f(shuō)，只要他們按照我說(shuō)的去做?！?/p>

也許她真應(yīng)該在意大臣們的言論。她的政治生涯走向終結(jié)，正是由于內(nèi)閣不愿支持她參加1990年的連任選舉。針對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)她與內(nèi)閣間的不和，她說(shuō)：“這是笑里藏刀的背叛。也許這才是最糟糕的?！?/p>

撒切爾當(dāng)選為首相后的一項(xiàng)重大使命是減少各產(chǎn)業(yè)的政府補(bǔ)貼以及和工會(huì)力量抗衡。自1984年至1985年，英國(guó)的礦工工會(huì)一直在進(jìn)行罷工，抗議數(shù)條相關(guān)法律中的一條——該條法律規(guī)定未經(jīng)投票進(jìn)行罷工或組織罷工糾察隊(duì)是違法行為。針對(duì)罷工，撒切爾說(shuō)：“我們對(duì)外不得不到?？颂m群島上去擊退頑敵。我們還得時(shí)刻警惕內(nèi)部敵人，他們更難擊退，對(duì)自由的危害更大。”

在擔(dān)任英國(guó)首位女首相11年后，撒切爾屈服于同僚壓力，最終下臺(tái)。在1990年11月的最后一次內(nèi)閣會(huì)議上，撒切爾評(píng)論道：“這是個(gè)有趣的舊世界?！?/p>

1. poignant [?p??nj?nt] adj. 尖銳的，深刻的

2. trailblazing [?tre?l?ble?z??] adj. 開(kāi)拓的，先驅(qū)的

3. brash [br??] adj. 盛氣凌人的，自以為是的

4. with bated breath：因焦急或興奮而屏住氣息

5. catchphrase [?k?t??fre?z] n. 政治宣傳標(biāo)語(yǔ)，廣告語(yǔ)

6. U-turn [ju?t??（r）n] n. 方向的大轉(zhuǎn)變

7. Good Samaritan：好心的撒瑪利亞人，出自《圣經(jīng)》，泛指樂(lè)善好施的人。

8. picket [?p?k?t] n. 罷工糾察員，警戒隊(duì)

9. Falklands： 即Falkland Islands，具體請(qǐng)參見(jiàn)23頁(yè)注釋13。