Iain Duncan Smith Quotes

Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man.

All I can say to the others is, 'Look out, we're on our way.

After years of piecemeal reform the current welfare system is complex and unfair.

We do not celebrate people who have made success out of serious hard work.

A system that was originally designed to support the poorest in society is now trapping them in the very condition it was supposed to alleviate.

Over the years the political establishment has frowned if a mainstream politician mentions marriage.

Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive money is 'The X Factor.'

No I'm not a great believer in getting back over things and saying if only, or if, or buts because I don't think we actually get anywhere on that.

I am not going to go round trying to make people say 'Wow!'... I'm not going to play Hollywood lookalikes.

That thing, 'You must stay together for the kids,' is out of fashion but is right. It's not arguing parents that children don't like, it is having one parent.

I went up to the top of the career ladder and I came down again, I am past all that.

Aspiration, it seems, is in danger of becoming the preserve of the wealthy.

With participation in politics so low at the moment I think Christians should ensure their views are represented at all levels and not leave it to others.

You cannot stop what the public want. The public want two strong women in the final round and then a woman prime minister and I'm absolutely with that.

My view is pensioners don't have the one option that people of working age have. They can't really increase their income, because they are no longer able to work.

Even as our economy starts to pick up, and new jobs are created, there is a risk that young people in Britain won't get the chances they deserve because businesses will continue to look elsewhere.

Work is transformative. It gives you a greater chance of a greater income. You can affect your life while you're of working age, so you have scope and opportunity. Pensioners do not.

Can there not be a limit to the fact that really you need to cut your cloth in accordance with what capabilities and finances you have?

The public thinks that homelessness is about not having any accommodation to go to.

If you look at the footballers, you look at our celebrity culture, we seem to be saying, 'This is the way you want to be'. We seem to be a society that celebrates all the wrong people.

What happened I think on Sept. 11 was we were given graphic and clear evidence that things had changed.

We do a disservice to society if we ignore the evidence which shows that stable families tend to be associated with better outcomes for children.

Look, I've always said from the word go many years ago that I felt the whole bonus culture, they need to think very carefully about being detached from the rest of the British public.

Well obviously the economy is critical to everything we do and we need to get the economy back in shape, the deficit down, the debt paid off, so that the economy can grow again and grow properly.

The number one priority now is reducing the deficit that they [Labour] left us - the biggest deficit since the Second World War.

If you knowingly and willingly embark on criminal behaviour, the consequences of that should be... that you lose some of your benefits under the current system

[Andrea] Leadsom has compassion ... a real steel and a real determination and that velvet glove of compassion that she really cares about people.

I have two daughters, it really means a lot to me to have two women standing now and being the PM.

The person that takes over needs to have the skills to manage that ... I believe Andrea [Leadsom] has the edge.

There are few more powerful tools for promoting stability than the institution of marriage.

I think almost every political leader is always told that the next speech they make is the most crucial one.

Balance is if you try hard, you work hard then the rewards are in balance with what you put in and what is available.

A good proportion of foreign nationals in jobs in the UK are in semi or low-skilled occupations.

Every parent wants to know that their children are protected against those who have a particular agenda until they get old enough to make decisions for themselves.

Too many couples break up without understanding the consequences for their families.

We do need to have a little bit more protection and sensibility around pensioners. They are remarkable. They gave so much. We need to make sure we do our best by them.

There is nothing people can throw at me to say: Do this, do that.

The financial costs of family breakdown are incredibly high.

My personal view is always I'm in favour of anything that gives parliament a greater say. That's after all what we were elected for.

Luck is great, but most of life is hard work.