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Cherie Blair Quotes

Powerful Cherie Blair for Daily Growth

About Cherie Blair

Cherie Blair, née Booth (born September 25, 1954), is an English lawyer, politician, QC (Queen's Counsel), columnist, and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. She was the first woman to be both the wife of a serving British prime minister and also qualified as a barrister. Born in Vaughan Place, London, to Jewish parents Jack Booth and Rose (née Plaut), Cherie grew up in North London. Her family moved to Edgware when she was seven years old. She attended the independent North London Collegiate School, and later studied Law at the Sussex University, where she graduated with a First Class honors degree in 1976. Cherie began her legal career at a firm in Manchester, before moving to London and joining Doughty Street Chambers as a barrister in 1985. Her major works include 'Speaking for Myself' (2003), an autobiography that details her life before and during Tony Blair's tenure as prime minister, and 'The Price of Power' (2006), co-authored with Alastair Campbell, which offers insights into the British political system. In 1983, Cherie married Tony Blair. Their marriage has been a significant part of their careers, often leading to public scrutiny. They have four children together: Euan, Nicky, Kathryn, and Leo. Cherie's legal career took an unexpected turn when she was appointed as the Minister for Women and Equality in 2007 by her husband, following his third election victory. However, she resigned from this position in 2009 due to a conflict of interest arising from her work with the law firm Omnia Strategy. Cherie Blair continues to practice law, focusing on international advocacy and supporting entrepreneurship among women in developing countries through her organization, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. She remains an influential figure in British politics and society.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Women's rights are an essential part of the overall human rights agenda, and they cannot be ignored without destroying the very foundations of a democratic society."

This quote by Cherie Blair emphasizes the critical role of women's rights in maintaining a balanced and functional democratic society. By advocating for women's rights as an integral aspect of human rights, she highlights their essential nature. Neglecting this fundamental right risks undermining the core values of democracy, including equality, fairness, and justice for all members within society. In essence, women's rights are not merely a gender-specific issue but a vital component that safeguards the overall stability and success of a democratic system.

"We know what success looks like: it's a thriving businesswoman in a boardroom, a scientist in a lab, a teacher in a classroom - or a mother at home taking care of her family."

This quote by Cherie Blair emphasizes the modern understanding of success, which encompasses diverse professional roles and personal choices, including businesswomen, scientists, teachers, and mothers. It highlights the importance of breaking gender stereotypes in traditionally male-dominated fields while acknowledging and valuing the crucial role of women in nurturing their families. The quote symbolizes progress and equality, inspiring all individuals, particularly women, to pursue their dreams and ambitions without limitations or constraints based on societal norms or expectations.

"Every day, every minute is a battle to change the perception that women are second-class citizens."

This quote underscores Cherie Blair's belief in the ongoing struggle to challenge societal norms and perceptions that unfairly devalue the role of women, positioning them as inferior to men. She emphasizes that every day and minute brings a fresh opportunity for advocacy, education, and action, aimed at elevating the status of women to equal footing with men, in all aspects of life. This statement is a powerful call-to-action for gender equality, urging individuals and communities to confront and dismantle any lingering biases or prejudices that may contribute to the marginalization of women.

"To me, empowerment means enabling people to be themselves and fulfill their potential, and that often means giving them opportunities to take risks, to make mistakes, to learn, and to grow."

Cherie Blair's quote emphasizes the importance of providing individuals with the tools, opportunities, and freedom to develop their unique abilities and reach their full potential. Empowerment, in this context, is about fostering an environment where people can take risks, learn from mistakes, and grow through experiences. This perspective encourages personal growth and self-realization by allowing individuals the agency to define and pursue their own paths in life.

"Women are not looking for a 'seat at the table', we want to redesign the table so every voice is heard and every hand can reach the food."

The quote highlights the desire among women for equitable representation and inclusion in decision-making processes, rather than merely being invited to join existing power structures. Cherie Blair is advocating for a transformative change where the very foundation of those structures - the table - is reimagined and redesigned, ensuring that all voices have an equal opportunity to contribute and benefit from its outcomes. This perspective underscores the importance of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment in shaping our society and its institutions.

Like every mother, it's my children; that's the first thing that makes me really proud. For my own part, it would be when I became a Queen's Counsel in 1995. I was the 76th woman ever to become a Queen's Counsel, so it was still a pretty rare thing.

- Cherie Blair

Woman, Queen, Became, My Own

I'm an incurable optimist, and I'm a great believer in never looking back. Life is too short, and new challenges are exciting.

- Cherie Blair

Looking Back, New, Incurable, Believer

As a Catholic, I am proud of the social mission of the church and its concerns for the poor and dispossessed, but I still personally would support women priests.

- Cherie Blair

Proud, Social, Still, Dispossessed

Many of the big decisions over progression, promotion and future career trajectory are taken when people are in their late twenties and thirties, putting women at a huge disadvantage because this is the very time they are most likely to be having a break to have children.

- Cherie Blair

Career, Big, Very, Trajectory

Yes, people need food and education. But one of the cornerstones of any society is a well-functioning legal system.

- Cherie Blair

Education, Need, Yes, Legal System

Understanding how your business affects human rights and using that knowledge to shape appropriate policies and practices is crucial to achieving what should be the goal of all corporations - sustainable growth.

- Cherie Blair

Goal, Appropriate, Using, Practices

My advice to organizations I work with is always to be proactive rather than simply reactive when it comes to human rights issues. After all, the important process of improving company policies and practices must be carried out without having to be prompted by a labour strike, factory collapse or other crisis.

- Cherie Blair

Advice, Other, Rather, Practices

If I want to make political decisions, I should stand for election. If I want to do something in the legal field, that's different; that is my - they are my qualifications, but you know, the politicians are the ones who stand up there and are answerable to the people.

- Cherie Blair

Legal, Political, Should, Qualifications

You hear these yummy mummies talk about being the best possible mother, and they put all their effort into their children. I also want to be the best possible mother, but I know that my job as a mother includes bringing my children up so, actually, they can live without me.

- Cherie Blair

Best, Effort, About, Being The Best

I think anyone doing an interview is to some extent on show. And therefore, we always want to put on our best face.

- Cherie Blair

Think, Always, Extent, Interview

Britain is still seen as a beacon for decency, for democracy, for vigorous judges upholding the rule of law and, dare I say it, a free press. I respect the press in theory, but when you see some of the things it writes about you, it's not exactly a happy relationship.

- Cherie Blair

Happy, Some, Britain, Writes

I don't want to give this impression that I grew up in Liverpool in a cardboard box in abject poverty, but that didn't mean there weren't anxieties in my childhood about money.

- Cherie Blair

Childhood, Want, Give, Abject

I really am not going to get involved in a discussion about the legal position of the Iraq war. I am not the person to do that because I am not sufficiently impartial as a lawyer about this, because it's a matter that is of interest to the person that I am closest to in the world.

- Cherie Blair

Matter, About, Sufficiently, Closest

In my youngest days, the nuns at my grammar school drummed into us that we were in this world to make it a better place - not just for ourselves, but for other people, too. So from the very beginning, I've been driven by this idea that we have to make a difference, and it's one of the reasons I went into law in the first place.

- Cherie Blair

Other, Been, Very, Make A Difference

My own foundation concentrates on women's economic empowerment on the basis that if women have their own money and are able to support themselves, they can make choices about what happens to them in their lives, about whether they have education, whether they get married, and what happens to their children.

- Cherie Blair

Education, Own, About, Get Married

I suppose the first big shift in my life was when, at the age of 8, my father left my mother, leaving her alone with two daughters to bring up. That taught me the importance of women being financially independent. You never know what might happen.

- Cherie Blair

My Life, Independent, Big, Financially

We need to empower all women, both financially and socially, to give them the tools to support themselves and their families. We need to start seeing them as contributors to society, as assets, not as objects of pity or, even worse, objects of shame.

- Cherie Blair

Shame, Pity, Objects, Financially

Our experience shows - and survey after survey reveals - institutions are run better, communities are healthier when women are involved in solving the challenges of our society. Equal representation does not just lead to good democracy: it is democracy.

- Cherie Blair

Solving, Healthier, Reveals, Survey

For many women, becoming a widow does not just mean the heartache of losing a husband, but often losing everything else as well.

- Cherie Blair

Husband, Becoming, Widow, Everything Else

Women tend to judge other women harshly. We should be kinder to each other, accept that we're all different and can make different choices. Not go for some kind of stereotypical idea that we're perfect. Frankly, I'm not perfect.

- Cherie Blair

Perfect, Some, Other, Kinder

Like everyone, I am formed by my background, and mine was - well, we didn't have a lot of money. I didn't live in a cardboard box, but I did live in a place where, at the end of the week, the money was gone.

- Cherie Blair

Week, Like, Mine, Formed

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to think: have I really come this far? Because it is quite different, where I find myself today, from where I started off, in the streets of Waterloo, in the suburbs of Liverpool - that's for sure.

- Cherie Blair

Think, Suburbs, Pinch, Waterloo

My foundation is absolutely about the women we work with, and they are contributing every day to their families, to their communities, and to the economy of their countries. All we are doing is enabling them to be the best that they can be.

- Cherie Blair

Work, Doing, Enabling, Communities

Indeed, in a world of the BlackBerry, remote access and Wi-Fi hotspots on every street corner, it feels particularly outdated that much of our working culture is still dominated by the need to be at our desk for long hours of the day.

- Cherie Blair

Access, Feels, Remote, Street Corner

I feel very strongly about contraception even though I know people say that, as a good Catholic girl, I shouldn't. But I disagree because I think one of the keys to women's progression in the 20th century is being able to control their fertility.

- Cherie Blair

I Think, Keys, Very, 20th Century

I am really lucky with my skin. It comes from my mum. Fashion tip from Cherie: drink lots of water.

- Cherie Blair

Skin, Lucky, Mum, Tip

The thing I want to see before I die is women achieving full equality in the world. I'm very passionate about injustice against women and there's too much of it in the world. In so many parts of the world, women are not regarded as worthy or equal to men. In parts of the world, women are bought and sold.

- Cherie Blair

Die, Injustice, Very, Women Are

It's not good enough to believe women matter if they only matter in the U.K. They have to matter everywhere. As long as there's an idea that women don't matter in the world, then all women are diminished.

- Cherie Blair

Not Good Enough, Idea, Women Are

Someone with 4As at A-level from Eton may look good on paper and come across as very smooth, but push a bit more, and often you get the impression they have learned to pass exams rather than think for themselves.

- Cherie Blair

Rather, Very, Bit, Push

People say that human rights is a Western construct foisted on others. But that's not true. Equality, dignity, respect and justice are as much an integral part of the Islamic tradition.

- Cherie Blair

Say, Part, Islamic, Human Rights

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