The last of the five monarchs of the House of Tudor, Elizabeth I became the queen of England at the age of 17 and remained so till her last breath. She was known for her intelligence, valour, and perseverance. She believed in hard-work and went on to achieve great heights as the Queen of England. She successfully managed to safeguard England through the testing days of the Spanish Armada. During her reign arts, trade, and exploration flourished. We have a list of her quotes collected from her speeches and writing. Let’s look at Elizabeth I’s quotes on power, ambition, love, relationship, pain, fear, God, and work.
My mortal foe can no ways wish me a greater harm than England's hate; neither should death be less welcome unto me than such a mishap betide me.
Elizabeth I of England
If our web be framed with rotten handles, when our loom is well nigh done, our work is new to begin. God send the weaver true prentices again, and let them be denizens.
Elizabeth I of England
It has been always held for a special principle in friendship that prosperity provideth but adversity proveth friends.
Elizabeth I of England
I have no desire to make windows into men's souls.
Elizabeth I of England
Young heads take example of the ancient
Elizabeth I of England
There is small disproportion betwixt a fool who useth not wit because he hath it not and him that useth it not when it should avail him.
Elizabeth I of England
There is nothing about which I am more anxious than my country, and for its sake I am willing to die ten deaths, if that be possible.
Elizabeth I of England
Mr. Doctor, that loose gown becomes you so well I wonder your notions should be so narrow.
Elizabeth I of England
It is good to jest, but not to make a trade of jesting.
Elizabeth I of England
The name of a successor is like the tolling of my own death-bell!
Elizabeth I of England
If I should say the sweetest speech with the eloquentest tongue that ever was in man, I were not able to express that restless care which I have ever bent to govern for the greatest wealth.
Elizabeth I of England
I pluck up the good lissome herbs of sentences by pruning, eat them by reading, digest them by musing, and lay them up at length in the high seat of memory.
Elizabeth I of England
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.
Elizabeth I of England
O Fortune, how thy restless, wavering state has fraught with cares my troubled wit!
Elizabeth I of England
[On being told Mary, Queen of Scots, was taller than she:] Then she is too high, for I myself am neither too high nor too low.
Elizabeth I of England
Who seeketh two strings to one bow, they may shoot strong, but never straight.
Elizabeth I of England
I regret the unhappiness of princes who are slaves to forms and fettered by caution.
Elizabeth I of England
He that will forget God, will also forget his benefactors.
Elizabeth I of England
Be of good cheer, for you will never want, for the bullet was meant for me, though it hit you.
Elizabeth I of England
Had I been crested, not cloven, my Lords, you had not treated me thus.
Elizabeth I of England
Though God hath raised me high, yet this I count the glory of my crown: That I have reigned with your loves.
A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food.
Elizabeth I of England
I would not open windows into men's souls.
Elizabeth I of England
I thank God I am endued 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.
Elizabeth I of England
For, what is a family without a steward, a ship without a pilot, a flock without a shepherd, a body without a head, the same, I think, is a kingdom without the health and safety of a good monarch.
Elizabeth I of England
Fear not, we are of the nature of the lion, and cannot descend to the destruction of mice and such small beasts.
Elizabeth I of England
I am already bound unto an husband, which is the kingdom of England.
Elizabeth I of England
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.
Elizabeth I of England
Although my royal rank causes me to doubt whether my kingdom is not more sought after than myself, yet I understand that you havefound other graces in me.
Elizabeth I of England
[When opposed by leaders of her Council:] I will make you shorter by the head!
Elizabeth I of England
My seat has been the seat of kings, and I will have no rascal to succeed me.
Elizabeth I of England
Princes have big ears which hear far and near.
Elizabeth I of England
I am more afraid of making a fault in my Latin than of the Kings of Spain, France, Scotland, the whole House of Guise, and all of their confederates.
Elizabeth I of England
Let the good service of well-deservers be never rewarded with loss. Let their thanks be such as may encourage more strivers for the like.
Elizabeth I of England
Of myself I must say this, I never was any greedy, scraping grasper, nor a strait fast-holding prince, nor yet a master; my heart was never set on worldly goods, but only for my subjects' good.
They best pass over the world who trip over it quickly; for it is but a bog. If we stop, we sink.
Elizabeth I of England
Eyes of youth have sharp sight but commonly not so deep as those of elder age.
Elizabeth I of England
No foteball player be used or suffered within the City of London and the liberties thereof upon pain of imprisonment.
Elizabeth I of England
Affection! Affection is false.
Elizabeth I of England
Answer on being asked her opinion of Christ's presence in the Sacrament. 'Twas God the word that spake it, He took the Bread and brake it; And what the word did make it That I believe, and take it.
Elizabeth I of England
I will never be by violence constrained to do anything.
Elizabeth I of England
[To Parliament, when it urged her to marry and settle the succession:] You attend to your own duties and I'll perform mine.
Elizabeth I of England
I don't keep a dog and bark myself.
Elizabeth I of England
I have never been able to be so allured by the prospect of advantages or so terrified by misfortunes, swayed by honours or fettered by affection, nay not even so smitten by the fear of death, as to enter upon marriage.
Elizabeth I of England
This is the Lord's doing. And it is marvelous in our eyes.
Elizabeth I of England
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.
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.
Elizabeth I of England
The daughter of debate That still discord doth sow.
Elizabeth I of England
I cannot find it in me to fear a man who took ten years a learning of his alphabet.
Elizabeth I of England
I will have here but one mistress and no master.
Elizabeth I of England
Prosperity provideth, but adversity proveth friends.
Elizabeth I of England
Chastity is the ermine of woman's soul.
Elizabeth I of England
It is monstrous that the feet should direct the head.
Elizabeth I of England
I have seen many a man turn his gold into smoke, but you are the first who has turned smoke into gold.
Elizabeth I of England
There is an Italian proverb which saith, From my enemy let me defend myself; but from a pretensed friend Lord deliver me
Elizabeth I of England
The true sin against the Holy Ghost is ingratitude.
Elizabeth I of England
Words are leaves, the substance consists of deeds, which are the true fruits of a good tree.
Elizabeth I of England
When we hang on to resentments, we poison ourselves. As compulsive overeaters, we cannot afford resentment, since it exacerbates our disease.
Elizabeth I of England
I have already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the kingdom of England.
Elizabeth I of England
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.
Elizabeth I of England
Where might is mixed with wit, there is too good an accord in a government.
Elizabeth I of England
I shall lend credit to nothing against my people which parents would not believe against their own children.
Elizabeth I of England
Must! Is must a word to be addressed to princes? Little man, little man! Thy father, if he had been alive, durst not have used that word.
Elizabeth I of England
The word must is not to be used to princes.
Elizabeth I of England
The end crowneth the work.
Elizabeth I of England
Where minds differ and opinions swerve there is scant a friend in that company.
Elizabeth I of England
A fool too late bewares when all the peril is past.
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.
Elizabeth I of England
I will be as good unto ye as ever a Queen was unto her people. No will in me can lack, neither do I trust shall there lack any power. And persuade yourselves that for the safety and quietness of you all I will not spare if need be to spend my blood.
Elizabeth I of England
If there were two princes in Christendom who had good will and courage, it would be very easy to reconcile the religious difficulties; there is only one Jesus Christ and one faith, and all the rest is a dispute over trifles.
Elizabeth I of England
I am no lover of pompous title, but only desire that my name may be recorded in a line or two, which shall briefly express my name, my virginity, the years of my reign, the reformation of religion under it, and my preservation of peace.
