Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty
Queen Elizabeth IIinspired generations globally during her 70-year reign over the U.K.
As the longest-serving monarch in British history, the Queen was devoted to her people until her death at age 96 on Sept. 8, 2022. In 1992, a year she deemed "an 'annus horribilis' " due to multiple dissolvingroyal family marriagesand a fire, the Queendemonstrated great courage and resilience.
However, even before herascension to the throneon Feb. 6, 1952, following her fatherKing George VI's death, she understood the importance of staying positive for her people and everyone around the world. Just as she did when delivering her first public message via radio broadcast in 1940, alongside her sisterPrincess Margaretto the children of Britain during World War II.
"We know ... that in the end all will be well; for God will care for us and give us victory and peace," the Queen said, per the transcript on theRoyal family's website.
Throughout decades of duty and service, the late monarch expressed other heartfelt sentiments in her speeches — from addressing the importance of tackling climate change to reminding people to love their neighbors regardless of race, religion or creed.
Here are some of the Queen's most inspirational quotes and pearls of wisdom over the years.
On happy people
"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
On not taking yourself too seriously
Jayne Fincher/The Fincher Files/Popperfoto via Getty
"But let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly of wisdom, and we must always be ready to listen and respect other points of view."
— during the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 1991
On being inspirational
"But to be inspirational, you don't have to save lives or win medals. I often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things: volunteers, carers, community organizers and good neighbors, unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special. They are an inspiration to those who know them."
— in the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 2016
On the importance of women in society
"It has been women who have breathed gentleness and care into the harsh progress of mankind. The struggles against inhuman prejudice, against squalor, ignorance, and disease, have always owed a great deal to the determination and tenacity of women."
— in herChristmas broadcastin 1966
On taking small steps forward
Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty
"And, as we all look forward to the start of a new decade, it's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change."
— during the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 2019
On being hopeful at any age
POOL/AFP via Getty
"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."
— inthe Queen's Golden Jubilee messagein June 2012
On caring for one another
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
"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 the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 2002
On being courageous even when life is hard
John Stillwell/WPA Pool/Getty
"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 the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 2008
On living each day to its fullest
Anwar Hussein/Getty
"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 the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 2002
On aiming to see the good in the world
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
"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 the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 1974
On keeping a positive attitude even during hard times
"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. It is by acting in this spirit that every man, woman and child can help and 'make a difference.' "
— in the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 1974
On learning from the past
JOHN STILLWELL/AFP via Getty
"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 the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 2011
On motherhood
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
"It is the best job."
— the Queen's response toKate Winsletwhen the two discussed motherhood as the actress received her CBE honor in 2012,per the BBC
On being considerate neighbors
"If we resolve to be considerate and to help our neighbors, to make friends with people of different races and religions, and, as our Lord said, to look to our own faults before we criticize 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 the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 1994
On the virtues of aging
"But with age does come experience, and that can be a virtue if it is sensibly used. 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 herChristmas broadcastin 1998
On climate change
"The time for words has now moved to the time for action."
— in a speech to theUnited Nations climate change summitin 2021
On working together
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty
"Whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load."
— in a speech at a state banquet at Dublin Castle during the Queen's first visit to Ireland in 2011,per BBC
On support after 9/11
"Grief is the price we pay for love."
— a message from the Queen, written at Balmoral and read by the former British ambassador to the U.S., Sir Christopher Meyer, following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001,perThe Telegraph
On staying true to yourself
Getty Images
"May you be proud to remember — as I am myself — how much depends on you and that even when your life seems most monotonous, what you do is always of real value and importance to your fellow men."
— in the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 1954
On growing older
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
"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 the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 1998
On finding a balance in reflection
"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 the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 2013
On love over hate
"It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult."
— in the Queen'sChristmas broadcastin 1957
On finding success
"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 heraddress to the United Nations General Assemblyin 2010
On keeping traditions
"Such a blend of traditions serves to make us stronger, individually and collectively, by providing the ingredients needed for social, political and economic resilience."
— in theQueen's Commonwealth Day messagein 2020
On a lasting marriage
"When the bishop was asked what he thought about sin, he replied with simple conviction that he was against it. If I am asked what I think about family lifeafter 25 years of marriage, I can answer with equal simplicity and conviction, I am for it."
— during a wedding anniversary lunch in London in 1972,perThe New York Times
On life's milestones
"Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones; my own is no exception."
— in aspeech at the Borders Railwayin Scotland in 2015
On hoping for a more peaceful world
Topical Press Agency/Getty
"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."
— in then-Princess Elizabeth'sfirst public speech and wartime broadcastalongside her sister Princess Margaret during World War II in 1940
On familiar family life — even for a royal
Hannah McKay - WPA Pool/Getty
"Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of disagreements."
— in a speech given to heads of state on the royal yacht Britannia in 1989,perHarper's Bazaar Australia
On impeccable fashion choices
"I can never wear beige, because nobody will know who I am."
— the Queen'sfeelings on fashion, as shared by royal biographer Robert Hardman in the bookOur Queen,perThe Telegraph
On remaining hopeful during the pandemic
Buckingham Palace via Getty
"We should take comfort that 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."
— ina broadcast to the U.K. and Commonwealthat the beginning of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns
Read the original article onPeople
