
“Ordinary imperfect people, always choose similarly imperfect people as friends.”
Source: Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
Speech to Conservative Party Conference (13 October 1989) http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=107789
Third term as Prime Minister
Context: Imagine a Labour canvasser talking on the doorstep to those East German families when they settle in, on freedom's side of the wall. "You want to keep more of the money you earn? I'm afraid that's very selfish. We shall want to tax that away. You want to own shares in your firm? We can't have that. The state has to own your firm. You want to choose where to send your children to school? That's very divisive. You'll send your child where we tell you." Mr President, the trouble with Labour is that they're just not at home with freedom. Socialists don't like ordinary people choosing, for they might not choose Socialism.
“Ordinary imperfect people, always choose similarly imperfect people as friends.”
Source: Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
1840s, Past and Present (1843)
Speech before the Republican Party convention in New York. August 30, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3613480.stm
“The answer is that we don't choose our freaks, they choose us.”
Source: Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
“A people free to choose will always choose peace.”
Variant: A people free to choose will always choose peace
“When people are free to choose, they choose freedom.”
Speech to the Industrial League of Orange County (14 March 1991) http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/108266
Post-Prime Ministerial
“You really can’t choose the people you’re going to like.”
Source: A Mask for the General (1987), Chapter 11 (p. 191)