As we look back on her astounding 70-year reign, here are 46 of Queen Elizabeth II best quotes.
Queen Elizabeth II Quotes
- “While we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”
- “It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”
- “When peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place.”
- “It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult.”
- “I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”
- “The wartime generation—my generation—is resilient.”
- “You’ve all seen pictures of the earth taken from space. Unlike all the other planets in the solar system, earth shimmers green and blue in the sunlight and looks a very pleasant place to live.”
- “Often a child’s helplessness and vulnerability bring out the best in us.”
- “Right around the world, people gather to compete under standard rules and, in most cases, in a spirit of friendly rivalry. Competitors know that, to succeed, they must respect their opponents; very often, they like each other too.”
- “Religion and culture are much in the news these days, usually as sources of difference and conflict, rather than for bringing people together. But the irony is that every religion has something to say about tolerance and respecting others.”
- “Everyone is our neighbour, no matter what race, creed or colour.”
- “The birth of a baby brings great happiness–but then the business of growing up begins.”
- “I am reminded of a lady of about my age who was asked by an earnest, little granddaughter the other day ‘Granny, can you remember the Stone Age?’ Whilst that may be going a bit far, the older generation are able to give a sense of context as well as the wisdom of experience which can be invaluable.”
- “People are touched by events which have their roots far across the world.”
- “When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.”
- “Over the years, those who have seemed to me to be the most happy, contented and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives.”
- “For every poppy a life; and a reminder of the grief of loved ones left behind.”
- “Sport has a wonderful way of bringing together people and nations.”
- “It is through this lens of history that we should view the conflicts of today, and so give us hope for tomorrow.”
- “The importance of family has, of course, come home to Prince Philip and me personally this year with the marriages of two of our grandchildren, each in their own way a celebration of the God-given love that binds a family together.”
- “Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves–from our recklessness or our greed.”
- “In times of doubt and anxiety the attitudes people show in their daily lives, in their homes, and in their work, are of supreme importance.”
- “We may hold different points of view but it is in times of stress and difficulty that we most need to remember that we have much more in common than there is dividing us.”
- “Perhaps we make too much of what is wrong and too little of what is right. The trouble with gloom is that it feeds upon itself and depression causes more depression.”
- “Our modern world places such heavy demands on our time and attention that the need to remember our responsibilities to others is greater than ever.”
- “Each day is a new beginning, I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.”
- “I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad.”
- “I believe that, young or old, we have as much to look forward to with confidence and hope as we have to look back on with pride.”
- “If we resolve to be considerate and to help our neighbours; to make friends with people of different races and religions; and, as our Lord said, to look to our own faults before we criticise others, we will be keeping faith with those who landed in Normandy and fought so doggedly for their belief in freedom, peace and human decency.”
- “Though we each lead different lives, the experience of growing older, and the joys and emotions which it brings, are familiar to us all.”
- “By being willing to put past differences behind us and move forward together, we honour the freedom and democracy once won for us at so great a cost.”
- “With age does come experience and that can be a virtue if it is sensibly used.”
- “The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference.”
- “No age group has a monopoly of wisdom, and indeed I think the young can sometimes be wiser than us. But the older I get, the more conscious I become of the difficulties young people have to face as they learn to live in the modern world.”
- “We know the reward is peace on earth, goodwill toward men, but we cannot win it without determination and concerted effort.”
- “Such a blend of traditions serves to make us stronger, individually and collectively, by providing the ingredients needed for social, political and economic resilience.”
- “Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones; my own is no exception.”
- “Giant leaps often start with small steps.”
- “I know of no single formula for success, but over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal, and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration, to work together.”
- “At the heart of our faith stand not a preoccupation with our own welfare and comfort but the concepts of service and of sacrifice as shown in the life and teachings of the one who made himself nothing, taking the very form of a servant.”
- “It has perhaps always been the case that the waging of peace is the hardest form of leadership of all.”
- “The upward course of a nation’s history is due, in the long run, to the soundness of heart of its average men and women.”
- “Even when your life seems most monotonous, what you do is always of real value and importance to your fellow men.”
- “Whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load.”
- “I can never wear beige because nobody will know who I am.”
- “I have to be seen to be believed.”
