Iain Duncan Smith Quotes

Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man.

For families across the UK who are income-poor, but more than that, whose lives are blighted by worklessness, educational failure, family breakdown, problem debt and poor health, as well as other problems, giving them an extra pound - say through increased benefits - will not address the reason they find themselves in difficulty in the first place.

When families are strong and stable, so are children - showing higher levels of wellbeing and more positive outcomes. But when things go wrong - either through family breakdown or a damaged parental relationship - the impact on a child's later life can be devastating.

The future of Conservatism lies in our beliefs and values, not by throwing them away. We need to shed associations that bind us to past failures, but hold faith with those things that make us Conservatives.

If Britain is to have a stable, affordable pension system, people need to work longer, but we will reward their hard work with a decent state pension that will enable them to enjoy quality of life in their retirement.

We have to challenge the whole idea that it's acceptable for a society like Britain to have such a significant number of people who do not work one day of the week and don't have any possibility of improving the quality of their lives.

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.

With high underemployment - currently over one million part-time workers in the UK want to work more hours - sanctioning clients who cannot increase their hours seems to be both unworkable and unfair.

All too often, government's response to social breakdown has been a classic case of 'patching' - a case of handing money out, containing problems and limiting the damage but, in doing so, supporting - even reinforcing - dysfunctional behaviour.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive money is 'The X Factor.' Luck is great, but most of life is hard work. We do not celebrate people who have made success out of serious hard work.

What we want to do is reform the welfare system in the way that Tony Blair talked about 13 years ago but never achieved - a system that was created for the days after the Second World War. That prize is now I think achievable.

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

Gang members have invariably grown up in broken, chaotic homes, often experiencing domestic violence; they have truanted from school and many have been formally excluded; and they live in neighbourhoods where worklessness, addiction and crime are rife.

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

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.

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

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.

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?

With the right support, a child growing up in a dysfunctional household, who was destined for a lifetime on benefits could be put on an entirely different track - one which sees them move into fulfilling and sustainable work. In doing so, they will pull themselves out of poverty.

I think that the status that you have in life should be reflected in official documents. If you are married, fine, if you are living with someone, fine, if you are single, fine. We don't want to tell people how to live their lives.

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.

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.

In Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool there are white gangs that share the same backgrounds - they come from broken homes, completely dysfunctional, mums for the most part unable to cope, the fathers of these kids completely not in the scene.

I am an optimist about the UK. We have been involved in trade with our European partners, which we will always be doing whatever this relationship is. We are a member of the EU. That gives us benefits. But we have to figure out where that is going. In the world, we are a global trader already.

I do not believe the picture that some people paint of Scottish towns dependent on welfare. Every time I come here, I meet people who are determined to get into work. Who, with the right help are desperate to get off benefits, support their family and set an example for their children.

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

I am also incredibly proud of my party because today we have two strong woman candidates going to the country, we will have a women PM and it is the Conservative party yet again leading the way on this and it says to women all over the country you can get to the top.

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.

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.

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

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.

We have to ensure that our immigration system works in the interests of Britain, enabling us to make a realistic promise to our young school-leavers. It is part of our contract with the British people.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

For those who are able to work, work has to be seen as the best route out of poverty. For work is not just about more money - it is transformative. It's about taking responsibility for yourself and your family.

Well football teams are perhaps easier to control than political parties, I'm sure the Prime Minister would agree with me, but yeah I think every team needs discipline and a sense of self-belief and that's important, that's what leadership's all about.

Thankfully, due to the United Kingdom and the commitment of the Westminster government we are able to ensure that money brought in, whether it be from the City of London or from North Sea oil, can be pooled and directed to wherever it is needed most.