Elizabeth I Quotes

Grief never ends, but it changes. It is a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness nor a lack of faith: it is the price of love.

Do not tell secrets to those whose faith and silence you have not already tested.

Men fight wars. Women win them.

Though the sex to which I belong is considered weak you will nevertheless find me a rock that bends to no wind.

I have already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the kingdom of England.

To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it.

I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married.

God has given such brave soldiers to this Crown that, if they do not frighten our neighbours, at least they prevent us from being frightened by them.

As for my own part I care not for death, for all men are mortal; and though I be a woman yet I have as good a courage answerable to my place as ever my father had. I am your anointed Queen. I will never be by violence constrained to do anything. I thank God I am indeed endowed with such qualities that if I were turned out of the realm in my petticoat I were able to live in any place in Christendom.

Monarchs ought to put to death the authors and instigators of war, as their sworn enemies and as dangers to their states.

A clear and innocent conscience fears nothing.

Life is for living and working at. If you find anything or anybody a bore, the fault is in yourself.

There is no marvel in a woman learning to speak, but there would be in teaching her to hold her tongue

There is only one Christ, Jesus, one faith. All else is a dispute over trifles.

I do not want a husband who honors me as a queen if he does not love me as a woman.

Although I may not be a lioness, I am a lion's cub, and inherit many of his qualities; and as long as the King of France treats me gently he will find me as gentle and tractable as he can desire; but if he be rough, I shall take the trouble to be just as troublesome and offensive to him as I can.

Though I am not imperial, and though Elizabeth may not deserve it, the Queen of England will easily deserve to have an emperor's son to marry.

It is monstrous that the feet should direct the head.

I would gladly chastise those who represent things as different from what they are. Those who steal property or make counterfeit money are punished, and those ought to be still more severely dealt with who steal away or falsify the good name of a prince.

Chastity is the ermine of woman's soul.

[To Parliament, when it urged her to marry and settle the succession:] You attend to your own duties and I'll perform mine.

There is nothing in the world I hold in greater horror than to see a body moving against its head: and I shall be very careful notto ally myself with such a monster.

This is the Lord's doing. And it is marvelous in our eyes.

There is an Italian proverb which saith, From my enemy let me defend myself; but from a pretensed friend Lord deliver me

When we hang on to resentments, we poison ourselves. As compulsive overeaters, we cannot afford resentment, since it exacerbates our disease.

I have the heart of a man, not a woman, and I am not afraid of anything.

I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.

[To Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, on his return from self-imposed exile, occasioned by the embarrassing flatulence he had experienced in the presence of the Queen:] My Lord, I had forgot the fart.

I grieve and dare not show my discontent, I love and yet am forced to seem to hate, I do, yet dare not say I ever meant, I seem stark mute but inwardly do prate. I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned, Since from myself another self I turned. My care is like my shadow in the sun, Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it, Stands and lies by me, doth what I have done.

The past cannot be cured.

Words are leaves, the substance consists of deeds, which are the true fruits of a good tree.

I observe and remain silent.

I have seen many a man turn his gold into smoke, but you are the first who has turned smoke into gold.

The stone often recoils on the head of the thrower.

All my possessions for a moment of time.

The use of sea and air is common to all; neither can a title to the ocean belong to any people or private persons, forasmuch as neither nature nor public use and custom permit any possession therof.

I will have here but one mistress and no master.

I don't keep a dog and bark myself.

Princes have big ears which hear far and near.

Those who appear the most sanctified are the worst

Prosperity provideth, but adversity proveth friends.

My seat has been the seat of kings, and I will have no rascal to succeed me.

I may not be a lion,but I am lions cub and I have lion's heart

I would rather go to any extreme than suffer anything that is unworthy of my reputation, or of that of my crown.

Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects.

Affection! Affection is false.

[When opposed by leaders of her Council:] I will make you shorter by the head!

The true sin against the Holy Ghost is ingratitude.

I cannot find it in me to fear a man who took ten years a learning of his alphabet.

I would not open windows into men's souls.