Royals 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 Andrea Wurzburger Andrea Wurzburger is a former features writer at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 8, 2022 01:40PM EDT Close 01 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. The Royal Family/YouTube "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 02 of 28 Queen Elizabeth at the engagement in Windsor Castle on October 19. ALASTAIR GRANT/POOL/AFP via Getty "Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly on wisdom." — in her 1991 Christmas broadcast 03 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/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." — the Queen's Golden Jubilee message, June 2012 04 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Chris Jackson/Getty Images "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 05 of 28 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 her 2002 Christmas broadcast 06 of 28 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 her 2008 Christmas broadcast 07 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Andrew Milligan/Pool/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 her 1974 Christmas broadcast 08 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Max Mumby/indigo/getty "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 09 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Scott Heppell - WPA Pool/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 her 2011 Christmas broadcast 10 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Samir Hussein - Pool/WireImage "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 11 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty "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 12 of 28 Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty "Everyone is our neighbour, no matter what race, creed or colour." — in her 2004 Christmas broadcast 13 of 28 Getty "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 14 of 28 Chris Jackson/Getty "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 15 of 28 Frank Augstein/AP/Shutterstock "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 16 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images "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 17 of 28 Kate Middleton, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Queen Elizabeth. OLI SCARFF/POOL/AFP via Getty "It has been women who have breathed gentleness and care into the harsh progress of mankind." — in her 1966 Christmas broadcast 18 of 28 Getty "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 19 of 28 Steve Parsons/PA Images/Getty Images "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 20 of 28 Queen Elizabeth in her Diamond Diadem. Kirsty Wigglesworth/Getty "Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones; my own is no exception." — in a 2015 speech at the Borders Railway, Scotland 21 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty "Grief is the price we pay for love." — following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 22 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. Mark Cuthbert/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 her 1998 Christmas broadcast 23 of 28 Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images "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 24 of 28 OLI SCARFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images "It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult." — in her 1957 Christmas broadcast 25 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images "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 26 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. STEVE PARSONS/POOL/AFP via Getty Image "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 27 of 28 HUlton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty "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 28 of 28 Queen Elizabeth. 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." — the Queen's wartime broadcast (and her first public speech) in 1940, when she was still Princess Elizabeth