Top 69 Quotes & Sayings by Queen Elizabeth II

The British constitution has always been puzzling and always will be.

I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana's loss, and gratitude for her all-too-short life. It is a chance to show to the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect.

It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained.

No one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her.

Like all best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements.

We lost the American colonies because we lacked the statesmanship to know the right time and the manner of yielding what is impossible to keep.

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.

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.

To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.

The events that I have attended to mark my Diamond Jubilee have been a humbling experience. It has touched me deeply to see so many thousands of families, neighbors and friends celebrating together in such a happy atmosphere.

These wretched babies don't come until they are ready.

I have been aware all the time that my peoples, spread far and wide throughout every continent and ocean in the world, were united to support me in the task to which I have now been dedicated with such solemnity.

For many, Christmas is also a time for coming together. But for others, service will come first.

Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements.

Madam President, speaking here in Dublin Castle it is impossible to ignore the weight of history, as it was yesterday when you and I laid wreaths at the Garden of Remembrance.

At Christmas, I am always struck by how the spirit of togetherness lies also at the heart of the Christmas story. A young mother and a dutiful father with their baby were joined by poor shepherds and visitors from afar. They came with their gifts to worship the Christ child.

It is easy enough to define what the Commonwealth is not. Indeed this is quite a popular pastime.

I have behind me not only the splendid traditions and the annals of more than a thousand years but the living strength and majesty of the Commonwealth and Empire; of societies old and new; of lands and races different in history and origins but all, by God's Will, united in spirit and in aim.

I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else - I can give my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.

The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load.

I myself prefer my New Zealand eggs for breakfast.

I have to be seen to be believed.

To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?

What were once only hopes for the future have now come to pass; it is almost exactly 13 years since the overwhelming majority of people in Ireland and Northern Ireland voted in favour of the agreement signed on Good Friday 1998, paving the way for Northern Ireland to become the exciting and inspirational place that it is today.

My husband has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years, and I owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim.

Therefore I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendor that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years I may, by God's Grace and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as your Queen.

Grief is the price we pay for love.

I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.

At its heart, engineering is about using science to find creative, practical solutions. It is a noble profession.

In remembering the appalling suffering of war on both sides, we recognise how precious is the peace we have built in Europe since 1945.

First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her - for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys.

The world is not the most pleasant place. Eventually, your parents leave you and nobody is going to go out of their way to protect you unconditionally. You need to learn to stand up for yourself and what you believe and sometimes, pardon my language, kick some ass.

Therefore I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendour that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years I may, by God's Grace and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as your Queen.

[On being criticized for her serious expression:] I simply ache from smiling. Why are women expected to beam all the time? It's unfair. If a man looks solemn, it's automatically assumed he's a serious person, not a miserable one.

In the turbulence of this anxious and active world many people are leading uneventful, lonely lives. To them dreariness, not disaster, is the enemy. They seldom realize that on their steadfastness, on their ability to withstand the fatigue of dull repetitive work, and on their courage in meeting constant small adversities depend in great measure the happiness and prosperity of the community as a whole. ... 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.

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

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

Think what we would have missed if we had never ... used a mobile phone or surfed the Net -- or, to be honest, listened to other people talking about surfing the Net.

I hope people will think very carefully about the future.

Work is the rent you pay for the room you occupy on earth.

Football's a difficult business and aren't they prima donnas. But it's a wonderful game.

Good memories are our second chance at happiness.

There are long periods when life seems a small, dull round, a petty business with no point, and then suddenly we are caught up in some great event which gives us a glimpse of the solid and durable foundations of our existence.

It has perhaps always been the case that the waging of peace is the hardest form of leadership of all.

For Christians, as for all people of faith, reflection, meditation and prayer help us to renew ourselves in God's love, as we strive daily to become better people. The Christmas message shows us that this love is for everyone. There is no one beyond its reach.

For me, heaven is likely to be a bit of a come-down.

I don’t like to badmouth people. But I’m the head of a monarchy that began in the ninth century, and I’m apparently more modern than Chris Christie. Look, I know he has to appeal to the crazy right-wingers in his party, but the fact is, he’s not as forward-thinking as an eighty-seven-year-old lady who wears a crown on her head. It’s pathetic.

[Before each of numerous portrait sittings:] Now then, with teeth or without?

They are not royal. They just happen to have me as their aunt.

It has been women who have breathed gentleness and care into the hard progress of humankind.

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.

I believe that there is a great fear in our generation of being labeled as priggish.

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.

Family does not necessarily mean blood relatives but often a description of a community, organisation or nation.

I should like to be a horse.

Cowards falter, but danger is often overcome by those who nobly dare.

What were once only hopes for the future have now come to pass.

True patriotism doesn't exclude an understanding of the patriotism of others.

Families, friends and communities often find a source of courage rising up from within. Indeed, sadly, it seems that it is tragedy that often draws out the most and the best from the human spirit.