Great Throughts Treasury

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

"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."

"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."

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

"Grief is the price we pay for love."

"We are a moderate, pragmatic people, more comfortable with practice than theory."

"1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an 'Annus Horribilis'."

"But nothing that can be said can begin to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments. Grief is the price we pay for love."

"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."

"Football's a difficult business and aren't they prima donnas?"

"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."

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

"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."

"Discrimination still exists. Some people feel that their own beliefs are being threatened. Some are unhappy about unfamiliar cultures. They all need to be reassured that there is so much to be gained by reaching out to others; that diversity is indeed a strength and not a threat. (2004 Christmas message)"

"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 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."

"I have to be seen to be believed."

"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."

"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."

"I think everybody really will concede that on this, of all days, I should begin my speech with the words `My husband and I'."

"It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult."

"In tomorrow's world we must all work together as hard as ever, if we're truly to be United Nations."

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

"It is as queen of Canada that I am here. Queen of Canada and all Canadians, not just one or two ancestral strains."

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

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

"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."

"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."

"No one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her. I, for one, believe there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death. I share in your determination to cherish her memory."

"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."

"Our peace and prosperity can never be taken for granted and must constantly be tended, so that never again do we have cause to build monuments to our fallen youth."

"Our religions provide critical guidance for the way we live our lives, and for the way in which we treat each other."

"Oh, dear, I hope it wasn't anyone important."

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

"The Duke of Edinburgh and I are very happy that the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Parker Bowles are to marry."

"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."

"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."

"The true measure of all our actions is how long the good in them lasts...everything we do, we do for the young."

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

"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."

"The right to change the government by the ballot box and not the barrel of a gun; perhaps the best definition of a democracy."

"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."

"Today we need a special kind of courage. Not the kind needed in battle, but a kind which makes us stand up for everything that we know is right, everything that is true and honest. We need the kind of courage that can withstand the subtle corruption of the cynics, so that we can show the world that we are not afraid of the future."

"They have overcome Beecher's Brook and The Chair and all kinds of other obstacles. They have come through and I'm very proud and wish them well. (on Charles and Camilla)"

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

"Those who perpetrate these brutal acts against innocent people should know that they will not change our way of life."

"We are not amused."

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