Quotes from Queen Elizabeth II

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.

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.

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.

[To the suggestion that Great Britain might someday want a Republic:] We'll go quietly.

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

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.

I myself prefer my New Zealand eggs for breakfast.

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

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. But I shall not have the strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I have to be seen to be believed.