In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.

The line contrasts political rhetoric with practical execution, using a gendered antithesis: men are cast as talkers (public speech, debate, promises), women as doers (administration, follow-through, results). Attributed to Margaret Thatcher—who built her public persona around decisiveness and managerial competence—it functions as both a compliment to women’s efficacy and a pointed critique of performative politics. The aphorism also works as a strategic piece of self-mythmaking: it aligns the speaker with action over words and frames female leadership as especially suited to getting things done. At the same time, it relies on broad stereotypes, which can be read as rhetorically effective but socially reductive.

In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman.
If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.
If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.