David Cameron Quotes

David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton, is a British politician who has served as Foreign Secretary since November 2023. In 1992 he became a special adviser to Norman Lamont, then chancellor of the Exchequer, and the following year he undertook the same role for Michael Howard, then home secretary. Cameron joined the media company Carlton Communications in 1994 as director of corporate affairs. He stayed at Carlton until he entered Parliament in 2001 as MP for Witney, northwest of London.

David Cameron Quotes

1. “In a race for limited resources, it is the energy efficient that will win the race.”
— David Cameron

2. “What you call austerity is what I might call efficiency.”
— David Cameron

3. “For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone.”
— David Cameron

4. “We’re all agreed that climate change is one of the greatest and most daunting challenges of our age. We have a moral imperative to act and act now.”
— David Cameron

5. “The political system is broken, the economy is broken and so is society. That is why people are so depressed about the state of our country.”
— David Cameron

6. “I think the prospect of bringing back grammar schools has always been wrong and I’ve never supported it. And I don’t think any Conservative government would have done it.”
— David Cameron

7. “We all say in our own lives that money isn’t everything. Love matters, friendships matter. My relationship with my kids matters. It shouldn’t be a giant leap to take that thought and introduce it into political dialogue.”
— David Cameron

8. “Corruption is one of the greatest enemies of progress in our time. It is the cancer at the heart of so many of the world’s problems.”
— David Cameron

9. “It’s time we admitted that there’s more to life than money, and it’s time we focused not just on GDP, but on GWB – general well-being.”
— David Cameron

10. “I want to be the voice of change and hope. I want to confront the big challenges this country faces.”
— David Cameron

11. “We must consider teaching the Egyptian revolution in schools.”
— David Cameron

12. “Now I know which came first – the chicken not the egg.”
— David Cameron

13. “No treaty should be ratified without consulting the British people in a referendum.”
— David Cameron

14. “Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us. Society is stronger when we make vows to each other and we support each other. I don’t support gay marriage in spite of being a conservative. I support gay marriage because I am a conservative.”
— David Cameron

15. “There should be no means of communication which we cannot read.”
— David Cameron

16. “It would be wrong to suggest that Scotland could not be another such successful, independent country.”
— David Cameron

17. “I’m all for apprenticeships, but this is no time for a novice.”
— David Cameron

18. “Because I’m a democrat! The will of the people is sovereign.”
— David Cameron

19. “Warm congratulations to my friend Barack Obama. Look forward to continuing to work together.”
— David Cameron

20. “There is not, in my view, a single European demos.”
— David Cameron

21. “We can’t afford to waste time going slow on changing our party so now is not the time to put our foot on the brake. Now is the time to press on the accelerator.”
— David Cameron

22. “I want to talk about the internet, the impact it is having on the innocence of our children, how online pornography is corroding childhood and how, in the darkest corners of the internet, there are things going on that are a direct danger to our children, and that must be stamped out.”
— David Cameron

23. “Every time I visit Iraq or Afghanistan I am blown away.”
— David Cameron

24. “Easter is all about remembering the importance of change, responsibility, and doing the right thing for the good of our children.”
— David Cameron

25. “Nelson Mandela was a towering figure in our time; a legend in life and now in death – a true global hero.”
— David Cameron

26. “We are a great country, and whatever choice we make we will still be great. But I believe the choice is between being an even greater Britain inside a reformed EU or a great leap into the unknown.”
— David Cameron

27. “Press freedom does not mean that the press should be above the law. While it’s vital that a free press can tell truth to power, it is equally important that those in power can tell truth to the press.”
— David Cameron

28. “It’s probably the most unpopular policy I’m responsible for. I know it is very unpopular, culling badgers. But I believe it is the right thing to do. You have to make choices as a politician. Sometimes it means doing something you know people don’t like.”
— David Cameron

29. “NCS – National Citizen Service is a fantastic programme. I want it to be available for every young person in the country.”
— David Cameron

30. “At the core of the European Union must be, as it is now, the single market. Britain is at the heart of that Single Market, and must remain so.”
— David Cameron

31. “I mean UKIP, I mean it’s just a sort of, you know, bunch of fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists, basically.”
— David Cameron

32. “Lots of people call me Dave, my mum calls me David, my wife calls me Dave, I don’t really notice what people call me.”
— David Cameron

33. “We will reflect the country we aspire to govern, and the sound of modern Britain is a complex harmony, not a male voice choir.”
— David Cameron

34. “It’s not just other countries in Europe having a say over what we do. It’s unelected bureaucrats in Brussels on sort of six-figure, huge salaries telling us how we run our country despite having never stood for an election themselves.”
— David Cameron

35. “I believe it is wrong to undermine public safety, and indeed public confidence in the concept of human rights, by allowing highly dangerous criminals and terrorists to trump the rights of the people of Britain to live in security and peace.”
— David Cameron

36. “I want the European Union to be a success. And I want a relationship between Britain and the EU that keeps us in it.”
— David Cameron

37. “Simply asking the British people to carry on accepting a European settlement over which they have had little choice is a path to ensuring that when the question is finally put – and at some stage it will have to be – it is much more likely that the British people will reject the EU.”
— David Cameron

38. “The prime minister says he has a vision for change, well put that to the people of the country.”
— David Cameron

39. “It is nonsense that people shopping online in some parts of Europe are unable to access the best deals because of where they live. I want completing the single market to be our driving mission.”
— David Cameron

40. “The economies in Europe that will prosper, are those that are the greenest and the most energy efficient.”
— David Cameron

41. “Billions raised, billions spent. No idea where the money has gone. With a record like that the chancellor should be running for treasurer of the Labour Party.”
— David Cameron

42. “The best chapters in our economic history are those that embrace the many, not the few.”
— David Cameron

43. “The well of public opinion has been well and truly poisoned by the Iraq episode.”
— David Cameron

44. “Just as I believe that Britain should want to remain in the EU so the EU should want us to stay.”
— David Cameron

45. “When you’re taking the country through difficult times and difficult decisions you’ve got to take the country with you. That means permanently trying to make the argument that what you’re doing is fair and seen to be fair.”
— David Cameron

46. “Government has the power to help improve well-being.”
— David Cameron

47. “Far from being a drag on growth, making our energy sources more sustainable, our energy consumption more efficient, and our economy more resilient to energy price shocks – those things are a vital part of the growth and wealth that we need.”
— David Cameron

48. “We have put our country on solid ground, but let me tell you: The next five years are much, much more important. The next five years are about turning the good news in our economy into a good life for you and your family.”
— David Cameron

49. “I intend to end the something for nothing culture.”
— David Cameron

50. “Complex rules restricting our labour markets are not some naturally occurring phenomenon. Just as excessive regulation is not some external plague that’s been visited on our businesses.”
— David Cameron

51. “There is such a thing as society. It’s just not the same thing as the state.”
— David Cameron

52. “I think in any organisation it’s right to set out what you stand for, what you’re fighting for and bring that together in one document so that people can see that the modern compassionate Conservative Party is in it for everybody – not just the rich.”
— David Cameron

53. “We cannot go on as we are with 2.6 million people on incapacity benefit, 500,000 of them are under 35. Are we really saying there are half a million people in this country under 35 who are simply too ill to work? I don’t think that’s right.”
— David Cameron

54. “Mrs Cameron keeps a rather better weekend diary than I do.”
— David Cameron

55. “Today the main, over-riding purpose of the European Union is different: not to win peace, but to secure prosperity.”
— David Cameron

56. “I’ve always said, not giving too much away, I’m a believer in having all your stars on the pitch…”
— David Cameron

57. “I like democracy. I like to be able to throw out my political leaders when they get things wrong, and we don’t get to do that with Brussels.”
— David Cameron

58. “Britain could make her own way in the world, outside the EU, if we chose to do so. So could any other Member State. But the question we will have to ask ourselves is this: is that the very best future for our country? We will have to weigh carefully where our true national interest lies.”
— David Cameron

59. “When people’s love is divided by law, it is the law that needs to change.”
— David Cameron

60. “The murders in Paris are sickening, we stand with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press.”
— David Cameron

61. “You’ve taxed too much, borrowed too much and are a roadblock to reform.”
— David Cameron

62. “Some members, like Britain and France, are ready, willing and able to take action in Libya or Mali. Others are uncomfortable with the use of military force. Let’s welcome that diversity, instead of trying to snuff it out.”
— David Cameron

63. “Whatever new arrangements are enacted for the Eurozone, they must work fairly for those inside it and out.”
— David Cameron

64. “My question right now would be to Colonel Gaddafi, which is: ‘What on earth do you think you are doing? Stop it.’”
— David Cameron

65. “I am Conservative to the core of my being, as those who know me best will testify.”
— David Cameron

66. “I believe man-made climate change is one of the most serious threats that this country and this world face.”
— David Cameron

67. “I am just not a great fan of the Piers Morgan format. I would rather do something a bit more substantial.”
— David Cameron

68. “I’ll be explaining that Britain will be leaving the European Union, but I want that process to be as constructive as possible. And I hope the outcome can be as constructive as possible because of course while we’re leaving the European Union, we mustn’t be turning our backs on Europe.”
— David Cameron

69. “Look at me and think of Schwarzenegger.”
— David Cameron

70. “It is national parliaments, which are, and will remain, the true source of real democratic legitimacy and accountability in the EU.”
— David Cameron

71. “The European Union that emerges from the Eurozone crisis is going to be a very different body. It will be transformed perhaps beyond recognition by the measures needed to save the Eurozone.”
— David Cameron

72. “People are crying out for a Conservative Party that is decent, reasonable, common sense and in it for the long term of this country.”
— David Cameron

73. “Britain is characterised not just by its independence but, above all, by its openness. We have always been a country that reaches out. That turns its face to the world…”
— David Cameron

74. “I think it will help people have a better work-life balance, that’s really important – that’s the centre ground for me, it’s the issues people care about in their lives.”
— David Cameron

75. “All those countries who keep their aid promises should be proud of what they’ve done.”
— David Cameron

76. “Normally when people say they haven’t decided, they’re being polite but they’re definitely not voting for you. I think it’s different this time. People are thinking hard about the issues.”
— David Cameron

77. “Since 2004, Britain has been the destination for 1 in 5 of all inward investments into Europe. And being part of the Single Market has been key to that success.”
— David Cameron

78. “Yes, America must do the right thing, but to provide moral leadership, America must do it in the right way, too.”
— David Cameron

79. “It’s time to place the market within a moral framework – even if that means standing up to companies who make life harder for parents and families.”
— David Cameron

80. “I think it was right to remove Saddam Hussein. I think it was the right decision then and I still think it was right now.”
— David Cameron

81. “Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.”
— David Cameron

82. “Strong views exist on both sides but I believe MPs voting for gay people being able to marry too, is a step forward for our country.”
— David Cameron

83. “I am not a British isolationist. I don’t just want a better deal for Britain. I want a better deal for Europe too.”
— David Cameron

84. “You can be walking down the street for a chat, but until you’ve got the selfie out of the way, people aren’t ready to talk.”
— David Cameron

85. “The EU must be able to act with the speed and flexibility of a network, not the cumbersome rigidity of a bloc.”
— David Cameron

86. “We need to have a bigger and more significant role for national parliaments. There is not, in my view, a single European demos.”
— David Cameron