Queen Elizabeth’s Best Quotes Through the Years

Over the nearly 70 years that she ruled Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth shared many words of wisdom. Here are some of the most inspiring

By

Andrea Wurzburger

Updated on September 8, 2022 01:40PM EDT

“It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”

— in her 2019 Christmas broadcast

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“Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly on wisdom.”

— in her 1991 Christmas broadcast

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“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.”

— the Queen’s Golden Jubilee message, June 2012

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“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.”

— in her 2002 Christmas broadcast

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“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.”

— in her 2002 Christmas broadcast

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“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”

— in her 2008 Christmas broadcast

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“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.”

— in her 1974 Christmas broadcast

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“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.”

— in her 1974 Christmas broadcast

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“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 her 2011 Christmas broadcast

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“It is through this lens of history that we should view the conflicts of today, and so give us hope for tomorrow.”

— in her 2011 Christmas broadcast

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“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.”

— in her 2008 Christmas broadcast

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“Everyone is our neighbour, no matter what race, creed or colour.”

— in her 2004 Christmas broadcast

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“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.”

— in her 1994 Christmas broadcast

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“With age does come experience and that can be a virtue if it is sensibly used. 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.”

— in her 1998 Christmas broadcast

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“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.”

— in her 1998 Christmas broadcast

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“We know the reward is peace on earth, goodwill toward men, but we cannot win it without determination and concerted effort.”

— in her 1963 Christmas broadcast

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“It has been women who have breathed gentleness and care into the harsh progress of mankind.”

— in her 1966 Christmas broadcast

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“Whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load.”

— in 2011 at the Queen’s Ireland state banquet

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“Even when your life seems most monotonous, what you do is always of real value and importance to your fellow men.”

— during her 1954 Christmas broadcast

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“Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones; my own is no exception.”

— in a 2015 speech at the Borders Railway, Scotland

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“Grief is the price we pay for love.”

— following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001

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“Though we each lead different lives, the experience of growing older, and the joys and emotions which it brings, are familiar to us all.”

— in her 1998 Christmas broadcast

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“We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock.”

— in her 2013 Christmas broadcast

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“It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult.”

— in her 1957 Christmas broadcast

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“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.”

— in her address to the United Nations General Assembly in July 2010

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“Such a blend of traditions serves to make us stronger, individually and collectively, by providing the ingredients needed for social, political and economic resilience.”

— at the Queen’s Commonweath Day message

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“If I am asked what I think about family life after 25 years of marriage, I can answer with equal simplicity and conviction, I am for it.”

— during her wedding anniversary speech in 1972

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“And when peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place.”