“Platitudes? Yes, there are platitudes. Platitudes are there because they are true.”
- October 13, 1925 – April 8, 2013
- British
- Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Politician, “The Iron Lady”
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Quote
“Platitudes? Yes, there are platitudes. Platitudes are there because they are true.”
Explanation
In this quote, Margaret Thatcher defends simple, oft-repeated truths, asserting that their repetition does not diminish their validity or importance. By acknowledging that platitudes exist and stating “they are there because they are true,” she affirms that core principles—such as hard work, responsibility, or freedom—retain their power regardless of how familiar or clichéd they may sound. Her message is that repetition does not invalidate wisdom.
Thatcher’s political philosophy was rooted in foundational values she saw as enduring and self-evident, including thrift, duty, and national pride. Critics may have dismissed her speeches or arguments as relying on worn-out phrases, but this quote is her rebuttal: that certain truths are timeless, and deserve to be repeated precisely because they continue to matter. In her view, calling them “platitudes” was a way to trivialize what is actually deeply significant.
In contemporary discourse, the quote invites reflection on how society often discards old wisdom in search of novelty, sometimes at the expense of clarity and principle. Thatcher’s words are a reminder that truth does not lose value through familiarity, and that reaffirming fundamental values remains essential, especially in times of change or confusion. Platitudes, when rooted in truth, are not empty—they are enduring.
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