32 Inspiring Quotes by Queen Elizabeth II

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

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 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.

Like all 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Grief is the price we pay for love.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Experience shows that great enterprises seldom end with a tidy and satisfactory flourish. Together, we are doing our best to re-establish peace and civil order in the Gulf region, and to help those members of civil and ethnic minorities who continue to suffer through no fault of their own. If we succeed, our military success will have achieved its true objective.