Many of these wise words come from women who’ve been raised in a privileged environment, but it hasn’t stopped them from seeing the world through the eyes of the less-fortunate. Whether it’s giving advice on how to treat others or how to believe in yourself, how motherhood changes you to gender equality, take a look through our gallery of inspirational quotes from the likes of Meghan Markle and Queen Letizia of Spain .
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
“We need everyone, male and female, to support this mission [gender equality], if we make greater strides towards parity, then we all stand to win. There will be bigger slices of a bigger cake for everyone.”
Princess Diana
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
Meghan Markle
“It’s pretty incredible to see what happens when you start believing you are enough”
Kate Middleton
“Imagine if everyone was able to help just one child who needs to be listened to, needs to be respected, and needs to be loved - we could make such a huge difference for an entire generation.”
Queen Elizabeth
“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.”
Princess Diana
“When you are happy you can forgive a great deal.”
Kate Middleton
“Nothing can really prepare you for you the sheer overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother. It is full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love, and worry, all mixed together.”
Queen Rania of Jordan
“Making mistakes is the art of discovery!”
Princess Grace of Monaco
“I‘m basically a feminist. I believe women can do anything they decide to.”
Kate Middlton
“My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect and honesty, and I realize how central values like these have been to me throughout my life.”
Meghan Markle
“Be kind to yourself. Truly, if we treated ourselves as well as we treated our best friends we would be a million miles ahead of the game.”
Queen Elizabeth
“Good memories are our second chance at happiness.”
Queen Letizia of Spain
“Every girl born anywhere in the world should have the possibility to choose what she wants in life because it‘s wonderful to be a woman ... Or at least it should be.”
Queen Maxima of The Netherlands
“I want all women to have freedom of choice and opportunities that they can grab and be happy and proud of themselves, if that is a feminist, I am a feminist.”
Meghan Markle
“You need to know that you’re enough. A mantra that has now ingrained itself so deeply within me that not a day goes by without hearing it chime in my head. That five pounds lost won’t make you happier, that more make-up won’t make you prettier, that the now iconic saying from Jerry Maguire – ‘you complete me’ - frankly, isn’t true. You are complete with or without a partner. You are enough just as you are.”
Queen Rania of Jordan
“Whatever title or office we may be privileged to hold, it is what we do that defines who we are.”
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
“Everyone has the right to belong.”
Princess Grace of Monaco
I avoid looking back. I prefer good memories to regrets.“
Princess Diana
“Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back.”
Queen Elizabeth
“I have to be seen to be believed.”